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Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls On Trump To Pardon George Santos

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Marjorie Taylor Greene -Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, via Wikimedia Commons

Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) is coming to the defense of disgraced former Congressman George Santos, who is currently serving out his prison sentence.

On Monday, Greene called on President Trump to issue a pardon to Santos, who began his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey last month after being sentenced to 87 months in prison for wire fraud and identity theft. (RELATED: Disgraced Former Rep. George Santos Gets Over 7 Years In Prison)

In a letter to President Trump’s U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin, Greene wrote:

I am writing to request that your office urge the President to commute the sentence of former Congressman George Santos. In April 2025, Mr. Santos was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. I wholeheartedly believe in justice and the rule of the law, and I understand the gravity of such actions. However, I believe a seven-year sentence for such campaign-related matters for an individual with no prior criminal record extends far beyond what is warranted.

As a Member of Congress, I worked with Mr. Santos on many issues and can attest to his willingness and dedication to serve the people of New York who elected him to office. He committed himself to serving his constituents and did whatever it took to represent their interests in Washington, D.C. He is sincerely remorseful and has accepted full responsibility for his actions. Furthermore, my office has spoken with a pastor of his who discussed the regret and remorse of Mr. Santos, agreeing that the sentence imposed is a grave injustice.

While his crimes warrant punishment, many of my colleagues who I serve with have committed far worse offenses than Mr. Santos yet have faced zero criminal charges. I strongly believe in accountability for one’s actions, but I believe the sentencing of Mr. Santos is an abusive overreach by the judicial system.

Commuting his sentence would acknowledge the severity of his actions and simultaneously provide a path forward in allowing him to make amends for his crimes and strive to better serve the people in his community.

In May, Santos teared up on Piers Morgan Uncensored and pleaded with Trump for a pardon, “commutation, clemency, whatever the president is willing to give me,” after being sentenced.

The former congressman also requested protective custody after expressing fear of being “brutalized” in prison.

“I’m not fearful of dying in there, I’m more fearful of being severely brutalized and harmed, if you get my drift,” he said.

Watch:

Last month, during an interview with Tucker Carlson, Santos also expressed concern that his time in prison could be a “death sentence.”

“Tucker, can I be honest with you?” Santos asked Carlson, who called Santos’s prison sentence unfair compared to lesser sentences handed to violent criminals.

“I hope you will,” Carlson responded.

“I don’t know that I survive it. They’re putting me in a violent prison. It’s a medium facility. I’m not a street-wise guy. I don’t know how to fight. I’m a gay man. We– statistics tell you what happens to gay men in prison. I didn’t know I survived this. I, I’m being honest. I mean, I can’t change that,” Santos said, later saying his only hope is prayer and a longshot pardon from President Donald Trump.

When Carlson pressed Santos on whether he was being serious, Santos insisted he is not “exaggerating” his fear, saying he’s lived a “sheltered” life that in no way prepared him for prison.

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Trump Announces Plan To Seek Death Penalty For D.C. Murders

President Trump said Tuesday the federal government would seek the death penalty for murders committed in Washington, D.C.

“Anybody murders something in the capital, capital punishment,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. “Capital, capital punishment. If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be seeking the death penalty. And that’s a very strong preventative.”

The District of Columbia hasn’t executed anyone since 1957, after Robert Carter was convicted of fatally shooting an off-duty police officer.

CBS News reported that previously, D.C. had mandatory death sentences for first-degree murders, a policy the Supreme Court later voided in the 1972 case Furman v. Georgia when it found that the death penalty was being applied in an unconstitutionally arbitrary manner. Four years later, the high court allowed capital punishment to be reinstated with clearer sentencing guidelines. The D.C. City Council, however, abolished the death penalty in 1981. 

Washington went 12 days without a murder during the federal government’s crime crackdown, a streak broken early Tuesday with the killing of a 31-year-old man in Southeast D.C., according to the Metropolitan Police Department. 

Vice President JD Vance, a day earlier, said the capital typically averaged one murder every other day, before commending the president on saving 6-7 lives since deploying the National Guard

On his first day in office, the president signed an executive order directing the attorney general to seek the death penalty in cases involving the murder of a law enforcement officer or “a capital crime committed by an alien illegally present in this country.”

Appeals Court Rejects Trump Request To Stay Criminal Sentencing

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Just in…

The New York Court of Appeals has denied a motion filed by President-elect Donald Trump to stay the Jan. 10 sentencing in the New York v. Trump case.

New York Judge Juan Merchan set Trump’s sentencing date in the case earlier this month, ahead of his inauguration as president on Jan. 20. 

Trump filed a motion to stay the Jan. 10 sentencing with the New York State Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The New York Court of Appeals denied Trump’s request Thursday morning. The status of his appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court is pending.

Trump remains set to be sentenced on Friday, Jan. 10, at 9:30 a.m., pending the Supreme Court’s decision. He plans to attend virtually. 

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Gunfire Erupts Outside White House, Sends Reporters Sprinting for Cover as Secret Service Kills Suspect

WASHINGTON — Chaos exploded just steps from the White House Saturday evening when a gunman allegedly opened fire at a Secret Service checkpoint, triggering a rapid exchange of gunfire that sent journalists diving for cover and locked down one of the most heavily guarded places on earth.

The suspect — identified by Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department as 21-year-old Nasire Best of Dundalk, Maryland — was shot by Secret Service officers after authorities say he pulled a weapon from a bag and began firing near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW shortly after 6 p.m.

“Secret Service police officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital, where he later died,” the agency said in a statement.

One bystander was also hit during the mayhem, though officials said investigators are still trying to determine whether the individual was struck by the suspect’s gunfire or during the exchange with officers. The victim was later reported in serious but stable condition.

No Secret Service personnel were injured.

The terrifying scene unfolded while President Donald Trump was inside the White House working in the Oval Office with aides, according to administration officials.

But for reporters outside, the eruption of gunfire turned a routine evening into a mad scramble.

ABC News correspondent Selina Wang said she was filming a social media segment on the North Lawn when the shots rang out.

“I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots,” Wang wrote on X. “It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now.”

Witnesses described an eruption of rapid gunfire that shattered the calm around the White House grounds. Journalists and staff members were quickly rushed inside as security teams locked down the area.

Trump praised the officers involved and pointed to the incident as another reminder of mounting security threats.

“Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening against a gunman near the White House, who had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure,” Trump wrote on social media.

“The National Security of our Country demands it!”

Sean Curran also commended the response, writing: “Our officers continue to operate heroically in a heightened political threat environment.”

Authorities say Best was already known to the Secret Service.

Court records show a stay-away order involving the White House had been issued against him in July 2025 after he allegedly tried to breach security and enter the White House complex. During that encounter, records indicate Best told officers he was “Jesus Christ” and allegedly said he wanted to be arrested. In a separate incident weeks earlier, he had reportedly been involuntarily committed.

The shooting also adds to a troubling recent pattern around the White House and President Trump.

Saturday’s incident marked the third gun-related security event in the president’s orbit in roughly the last month, according to reports, following another shooting tied to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner area and a separate armed security incident.

Federal investigators, including the FBI, remain on scene as authorities continue trying to determine what drove the attack and whether warning signs were missed.

For a few minutes Saturday night, the heavily fortified White House grounds looked less like a tourist landmark and more like an active war zone.

GOP Congressman Wildly Says ‘a Lot of Congressmen Probably Should Be in Jail’

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Image via Pixabay

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) raised eyebrows this week after making blunt remarks about corruption in Washington and the lingering unanswered questions surrounding the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

During a Monday appearance on Newsmax, Burchett argued that the Epstein scandal remains one of the clearest examples of how America’s political and elite class often operates under a different set of rules than everyday citizens.

Burchett’s comments came as discussion continues about potential upcoming depositions tied to the Epstein investigation, including speculation about former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

By Ralph Alswang, White House photographer – https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/clinton-epstein-maxwell/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=143417695

When asked about the possibility of questioning the Clintons, Burchett did not hold back, calling them an “evil pair” and suggesting they have long avoided accountability because of their political skill and influence.

“There’s a reason that they’re not in prison and a reason that he was in the White House for two terms and she was secretary of state, because they’re very slippery and they’re very smart and I think they’re an evil pair,” Burchett said.

He went on to argue that while many Americans want answers — particularly given Epstein’s high-profile connections — he doubts the Clintons or others in their circle will ever face serious consequences.

“I think she is probably the brains behind the operation, but I don’t think we’ll get much on them,” he continued. “I know a lot of people want us to get them, and it’d be great clickbait, I’m sure, but I think when it comes down to it they’ll either bail or they won’t answer very many questions and be very evasive and be very smug…”

Burchett also expressed frustration with what he described as a two-tiered justice system, where powerful political figures often escape scrutiny while ordinary Americans are held to stricter standards.

“…because in this world there are two forms of justice – those like the Clintons and for the rest of us,” he said.

While some commentators have speculated about dramatic legal consequences for high-profile individuals connected to Epstein, Burchett emphasized that Congress itself cannot directly jail anyone.

“Everybody says we’ll put them in handcuffs, all this stuff. All that’s talk,” he explained. “The law’s gotta back you up on it and, you know, we gotta define what those laws were that they broke, and Congress cannot send somebody to jail.”

In one of his most striking statements, Burchett suggested that Washington’s problems extend far beyond one scandal.

He concluded, “Oddly enough, a lot of congressmen probably should be in jail, but the truth is that we’re not gonna. I don’t think it’ll boil down to anything, and that’s gonna make a lot of people mad, but I believe that’s the truth.”

The Tennessee congressman also weighed in on Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a prison sentence for her role in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.

Burchett predicted that if Maxwell were ever released early, her fate could mirror the suspicious circumstances many Americans still associate with Epstein’s death.

“I see maybe she gets out early on good behavior and does a humongous book deal and probably ends up committing suicide by getting shot in the back of the head five times because this thing goes very deep and the people involved in it are very powerful,” he said.

Burchett also repeated a belief shared by many skeptics across the country — that Epstein’s death in federal custody left far too many unanswered questions.

“And I’m still one of those that believe Epstein didn’t kill himself, ma’am. I just don’t think he did.”

Hunter Biden Issues Blistering Response To $1 Billion Lawsuit Threat

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First Lady Melania Trump participates in the Senate Spouses Luncheon at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, May 21,2025. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)

Things are about to get ugly…

First Lady Melania Trump is threatening to sue former President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, for $1 billion over “defamatory” claims linking her to late financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Melania’s attorney Alejandro Brito demanded that Biden “immediately retract the false, defamatory, disparaging and inflammatory statements made about Mrs. Trump,” which were contained in a video interview with Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan and posted to Youtube in early August. 

Read the full letter:

“Failure to comply will leave Mrs. Trump with no choice but to pursue any and all legal rights and remedies available to her to recover the overwhelming financial and reputational harm that you have caused her to suffer,” Brito wrote.

In the video interview, titled “Hunter Biden Returns” video earlier in August, the former first son claimed “Epstein introduced Melania to Trump. The connections are, like, so wide and deep.” 

Biden also claimed that “Jeffrey Epstein introduced Melania, and that’s how Melania and the first lady and the President met.”

“If you do not comply with the above by August 7, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. EST, Mrs. Trump will be left with no alternative but to enforce her legal and equitable rights, all of which are expressly reserved and are not waived, including by filing legal action for over $1 Billion Dollars in damages,” Brito wrote. “You are on notice.”

A source close to the matter told Fox News that Biden did not comply with the requests by the set deadline. 

After Fox News published the piece, however, Melania Trump got Biden’s reply addressing the attorney’s letter when Callaghan posted a further interview with him to YouTube on Thursday.

Callaghan, holding up a copy at the interview’s opening, declared: “The day of presidential litigation has arrived!”

“We’re here, maybe, to give you the platform to apologize to the first lady for your statements that you made about her possible connection to Jeffrey Epstein,” the host said to Biden.

“F*ck that! That’s not going to happen,” Biden laughed.

Defending his comments as citation, Biden continued:

First of all is that, what I said was what I have heard and seen reported and written, primarily from Michael Wolff but also dating back all the way to 2019 when the New York Times – I think Annie Carney and and Maggie Haberman – reported that sources said that Jeffrey Epstein claimed to be the person to introduce Donald Trump to Melania at that time.

Biden added that he would not bow down to pressure or lawsuit threats: “I also think they’re bullies and they think that a billion dollars is going to scare me.”

I have this to say to them: If they want to sit down for a deposition and clarify the the nature of the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein, if the president and the First Lady want to do that and all of the known associates around them at the time of whatever time that they met, I’m more than happy to provide them the platform to be able to do it.

The letter comes after the Daily Beast pulled the article detailing allegations by journalist Wolff that Melania Trump was introduced to her husband Donald Trump via a modeling agent connected to Epstein, after a challenge from the first lady’s lawyers.

“Editor’s Note. After this story was published, The Beast received a letter from First Lady Melania Trump’s attorney challenging the headline and framing of the article. After reviewing the matter, the Beast has taken down the article and apologizes for any confusion or misunderstanding,” The Daily Beast posted in place of the article. The url for the article appears to have been amended to remove the original headline and now reads: thedailybeast.com/epstein-this-story-has-been-removed.

It also comes after famed Democrat strategist James Carville apologized to the first lady after repeating the same claim. 

Carville opened his latest episode of the Politics War Room podcast with a legal note. 

“In last week’s podcast episode, we spoke with Judd Legum,” he said. “After the episode, we received a letter from Melania Trump’s lawyer. He took issue with our title of one of those YouTube videos from that episode and a couple of comments I made about the first lady. We took a look at what they complained about, and we took down the video and edited out those comments from the episode. I also take back these statements and apologize.”

An aide to the first lady, Nick Clemens, told Fox News in a statement, “First Lady Melania Trump’s attorneys are actively ensuring immediate retractions and apologies by those who spread malicious, defamatory falsehoods. The true account of how the First Lady met President Trump is in her best-selling book, ‘Melania.’”  

Congresswoman Indicted Following ICE Facility Encounter

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Police image via Pixabay free images

A federal grand jury has indicted U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) on two felony counts and one misdemeanor charge related to a physical altercation with federal officers outside a Newark immigration detention facility.

The incident occurred on May 9 at Delaney Hall, during what was described as a congressional oversight visit. McIver was joined by several Democratic colleagues and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, McIver allegedly struck two federal officers — once with her forearm and again while attempting to block the arrest of Mayor Baraka. Baraka had entered a restricted area without authorization. He was briefly detained for trespassing, but the charges were later dropped.

As The Washington Post reports:

Video released by the Department of Homeland Security showed McIver rushing after the agents as they tried to arrest Baraka outside the facility’s gates and shouting to protesters outside to “surround the mayor.” At one point, McIver’s elbows appear to make contact with a masked officer amid the crush of the crowd.

The two other members of Congress have not been charged.

Habba and McIver havepublicly said that prosecutors tried to reach a resolution with McIver without pressing charges but were not successful, though neither provided details.

“The Justice Department and Alina Habba wanted me to admit to doing something that I did not do, and I was not going to do that,” McIver said on CNN last month. “I came here to do my job and conduct an oversight visit, and they wanted me to say something differently, and I’m not doing that.”

Federal prosecutors claim McIver’s actions constituted assault and obstruction of federal officers in the performance of their duties.

McIver has denied the allegations, claiming the charges are politically motivated and amount to intimidation over her work on immigration oversight. Her attorney, Paul J. Fishman, called the case “political retaliation against a dedicated public servant who refuses to shy away from her oversight responsibilities” and vowed to prove her innocence in court.

Fishman previously served as U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey from 2009 to 2017.

The case is unusual. Criminal indictments of sitting members of Congress are rare — especially ones that don’t involve financial misconduct or corruption. This case centers instead on conduct during an official visit tied to immigration enforcement.

Legal experts say the indictment could reignite debate over how much leeway lawmakers have in conducting oversight of federal agencies, particularly those involving immigration detention practices.

An arraignment date for McIver has not yet been set. If convicted, she faces up to eight years in prison for each felony count, and up to one year for the misdemeanor.

Report: Suspect Detained After Ramming Car Through White House Gate

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Secret Service agents are investigating a suspicious vehicle near the White House on Wednesday and detained the driver for questioning.

Fox News reported that a driver has been detained after crashing a van through a barricade near the White House on Wednesday morning.

Officers were dispatched to assist Secret Service agents at around 6:37 a.m. on Wednesday after a van drove through a security barricade near the presidential residence, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Justice Department Sues Chicago Over Sanctuary City Laws

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

On Thursday, President Trump’s Justice Department sued the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago, and local officials over laws creating a so-called “sanctuary city.” 

The lawsuit filed in Illinois, against Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and others, claimed that several state and local laws are “designed to and in fact interfere with and discriminate against the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution.”

“The challenged provisions of Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County law reflect their intentional effort to obstruct the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law and to impede consultation and communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials that is necessary for federal officials to carry out federal immigration law and keep Americans safe,” the lawsuit states.

The complaint cites Pritzker’s comments on CNN late last month, when he said he’s eager to cooperate with federal immigration officials to “get rid” of criminals but questioned the basis for targeting undocumented migrants that are “law-abiding” and have integrated into communities. 

“In rejecting congressionally authorized means of enforcing federal immigration law, including detainers and administrative warrants, these provisions constitute unlawful direct regulation of the Federal Government,” the lawsuit states. 

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for update

Former White House Adviser Predicts Trump ‘Going To Prison’ If Democrat Wins White House In 2028

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Image via Pixabay

Could Trump’s legal troubles come back to haunt him?

President Trump’s former advisor Steve Bannon predicted Thursday that President Trump will go to prison if a Democrat wins back the White House in 2028.

“God forbid we don’t win in ’28, President Trump is going to prison,” Bannon, who was Trump’s advisor in his first presidency, said Thursday during an appearance on Real America’s Voice.

“And people are sitting around – still with the glow of November 4th and all the inaugurations and all the balls. We’re at war and things that’ve happened in the last 72 hours, if you don’t understand we’re in political warfare, you’re not awake,” he said, in remarks highlighted by Mediaite.

Trump’s flurry of executive actions since taking office in January has spurred myriad legal cases. Courts have repeatedly paused actions like mass firings of federal workers and sweeping moves on immigration.

Bannon did not specify what charges might send Trump to prison. He also warned Democrats would seek to remove Trump from office if they win back the House next year.

“We are kidding ourselves if we don’t think that Democrats are pulling all stops out to stop President Trump to take the House through any means necessary to impeach Trump,” he said.

Last year, Special Counsel Jack Smith dismissed his two cases after Trump’s electoral victory, referencing the Department of Justice policy that prohibits prosecuting sitting presidents. A fourth case in Georgia remains technically open, though it is effectively inactive. He was convicted on 34 felony counts in a hush money case in New York.