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Report: Trump Says He Will ‘Look At’ Pardon For Gretchen Whitmer Kidnapping Conspiracy

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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers remarks during a press briefing at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., on April 29, 2025.​ The visit marked President Trump’s 100th day in office, during which he announced the basing of F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets at Selfridge—underscoring the installation’s growing strategic role. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by 2nd Lt. Paige Bodine)

Speaking to reporters Wednesday from the Oval Office, President Donald J. Trump said he is open to reviewing the cases of those convicted in connection with the 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, calling the prosecutions potentially unjust and saying “a lot of people think they got railroaded.”

“I’m going to look at it. I will take a look at it. It’s been brought to my attention,” Trump said in response to questions about possible pardons for the men convicted in the case.

“I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job, I’ll be honest with you. It looked to me like some people said some stupid things—you know, they were drinking—and I think they said stupid things.”

The comments come as President Trump continues to highlight what he calls the Biden administration’s weaponization of federal law enforcement and the justice system—a message that resonates with many conservatives concerned about double standards in legal prosecutions.

“A lot of people think they got railroaded,” Trump repeated. “And probably some people don’t. But I’ll take a look at it.”

The case involved Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., who were convicted in 2022 for what federal prosecutors described as a plot to kidnap Gov. Whitmer from her Michigan vacation home during the COVID lockdowns. The prosecution’s narrative focused on the pair’s frustration over pandemic mandates, which they said amounted to government overreach.

Fox was sentenced to 16 years in prison, and Croft to 19 years, on multiple conspiracy charges, including a scheme to use a weapon of mass destruction. Prosecutors claimed they were part of a larger militia movement called the “Wolverine Watchmen.”

However, even mainstream legal analysts and civil liberties watchdogs raised concerns at the time about the FBI’s heavy involvement in the case, including the use of over a dozen informants and undercover agents who appeared to guide, encourage, and escalate the planning efforts.

Some defense attorneys went so far as to claim that the plot was manufactured by federal operatives, with one legal team calling it a “federal setup from day one.” In fact, three other men tried later in connection with the plot were acquitted on all charges in 2023, further fueling criticism that the entire case may have been an exercise in political theater during a heated election cycle.

President Trump’s interest in revisiting the case follows his recent high-profile pardon of former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins, a well-known Virginia conservative convicted in a controversial cash-for-badges case. Trump described Jenkins as a victim of a “corrupt and weaponized Biden DOJ,” echoing his belief that the justice system has been used selectively to punish his political allies.

Trump To Reportedly Pardon Hunter Binden-linked Businessman

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President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)

Hunter Biden’s former business partner Devon Archer is reportedly set to receive a pardon from President Donald Trump.

Archer met with Trump over the weekend at the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia, where he said he received some “very encouraging words.”

“I had gotten word from my attorney earlier that the president was discussing this, and he had acknowledged that he was going to do it,” Archer said of the possible pardon Monday in an interview on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

Trump told the New York Post Sunday that he would give Archer a “full pardon” because he was “screwed by the Bidens.”

“They destroyed him like they tried to destroy a lot of people,” Trump said, according to the outlet.

Archer, who served on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma with Hunter, told the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door hearing in 2023 about the influence of the Biden family “brand.”

He told investigators Hunter put his father — then Vice President Joe Biden — on speakerphone at business meetings between 10 and 20 times, although he noted “nothing of material was discussed.”

“You didn’t think you’d ever need this [pardon] because Joe Biden said he’d take care of you. Isn’t that what he said?” Watters asked. 

“Absolutely. Well, and so did Hunter. I mean, once a Biden, always a Biden.” Archer responded.

“I didn’t think — first of all, I didn’t think I’d need this because I never did anything. I was a victim of financial fraud in which I invested a lot of money and was taken down [by] a whistleblower [who] was blowing the whistle on Hunter.”

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.

NYC Mayor ‘Welcomes’ Possible Trump Support After Corruption Indictment

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams is looking for support anywhere he can get it.

Adams said he would “welcome support from every American” in response to a question from the Washington Examiner about whether he would accept former President Donald Trump’s favor.

Trump recently said he had predicted Adams would be “indicted within a year” as the mayor called for federal government funds to deal with the city’s migrant crisis.

“Listen, I welcome support from every American,” Adams said Tuesday at a press conference. “No matter where they are and who they are, I welcome support from every American. Those who know me and know how I am, and those who are just reading up on this. So every American in this great country, I welcome support from.”

Trump’s comments last week suggested that he sympathized with the mayor.

“I watched about a year ago when he talked about how the illegal migrants are hurting our city, and the federal government should pay us, and we shouldn’t have to take them,” the former president said. “And I said, ‘You know what? He’ll be indicted within a year,’ and I was exactly right.”

Watch:

An Adams spokesman believes press coverage of Adams’s remarks has been misguided.

“This is a distortion of what the mayor said today,” Fabien Levy, Adams’s deputy mayor for communications, said in a social media post. “He never said he was looking for Trump’s support. Mayor Adams has said multiple times that he supports Kamala Harris for president. In fact, the mayor traveled to Chicago to support her historic nomination in August.”

Adams was recently indicted on five corruption charges, including bribery and wire fraud, for his actions allegedly soliciting benefits from foreign nationals, namely Turkish government officials, in exchange for favors.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams could be facing a bevy of new charges after being indicted last week in a federal corruption case. On Wednesday, prosecutors said that further counts are “quite likely” and that more defendants may be implicated.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls On Trump To Pardon George Santos

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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 Accuses Adam Schiff Of Mortgage Fraud

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Photo via Gage Skidmoer Flickr

On Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump accused former impeachment leader Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif) of committing mortgage fraud.

“I have always suspected Shifty Adam Shiff (sic) was a scam artist,” Trump wrote. He then claimed that Fannie Mae’s Financial Crimes Division had determined that Schiff had improperly declared a Maryland home as his primary residence to secure better mortgage terms, despite representing California in Congress.

“Adam Schiff said that his primary residence was in MARYLAND to get a cheaper mortgage and rip off America, when he must LIVE in CALIFORNIA,” Trump alleged, before outlining what he described as a fraudulent timeline beginning in 2009 and ending in 2020.

According to Trump’s post, the alleged “fraud” began on February 6, 2009, with the refinancing of a property in Maryland, and continued “through multiple transactions” until October 13, 2020, when the property was finally “correctly designated as a second home.” He concluded the post with a familiar refrain: “Crooked Adam Schiff (now a Senator) needs to be brought to justice.”

As of Tuesday morning, no independent confirmation of such an investigation has been reported.

Schiff’s ownership of the Maryland property was reported on during his Senate campaign by CNN, which at the time reported that the then-House member wasn’t likely to face any legal repercussions because the law at issue is ambiguous when it comes to the definition of a primary residence.

However, Schiff’s spokesperson during the campaign and his current press secretary, told CNN last year that he has claimed both his properties as primary residences for mortgage purposes “because they are both occupied throughout the year and to distinguish them from a vacation property.”

The animosity between Trump and Schiff has been swirling for year and dates back to at least 2017, when the California lawmaker emerged as one of Trump’s most vocal critics during the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Schiff later served as the lead impeachment manager during Trump’s first impeachment trial in 2020, drawing attacks from the former president, who routinely referred to him as “Pencil Neck” and “Shifty Schiff.”

Trump Files Motion To Halt Hush Money Case Sentencing

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Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Time is running out…

On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump’s legal team filed a motion urging Judge Juan Merchan to hold off on sentencing him on Jan. 10 in his New York criminal conviction.

Last week, the New York judge announced sentencing would move forward this Friday despite his imminent return to the White House

Trump’s attorneys told Merchan they are appealing his recent rulings upholding the jury’s guilty verdict and argued the judge must pause the case in the meantime. 

“By virtue of President Trump’s filing of appellate proceedings raising his claims of Presidential immunity, all proceedings in this Court are automatically stayed by operation of federal constitutional law,” Trump’s attorneys wrote in the new filing, which was made public Monday. 

“In the alternative, even if such a stay were discretionary, the Court should grant such a stay. The Court should vacate the sentencing hearing scheduled for January 10, 2025, and suspend all further deadlines in the case until President Trump’s immunity appeals are fully and finally resolved, which should result in a dismissal of this case, which should have never been brought in the first place,” they continued. 

They asked Merchan to notify the parties by 2 p.m. EST Monday whether he will cancel the sentencing and said they would be filing two appeals Monday in state court. 

“The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the state constitution of New York, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung, who is set to become White House communications director, said in a statement. 

A New York jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment made to adult film performer Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election so she would keep an alleged affair secret.  

It is the only one of Trump’s criminal prosecutions to have reached trial.

Trump’s sentencing in New York comes after the judge rejected two of his attempts to dismiss the case.

In scheduling Friday’s sentencing, Merchan rejected a proposal to delay the proceeding until after Trump’s White House term, calling it “less desirable” and citing a need for finality in the case.

Former Democrat Candidate Charged With Domestic Battery

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Back in the spotlight…

A former Democrat candidate for the Virginia legislature, whose X-rated movies with her husband were exposed before the election, was charged with domestic violence this week.

Susanna Gibson Payne, 42, was arrested on September 22 for “assault and battery” against a family member. Payne claimed that her husband, 44-year-old John David Gibson, has been harassing her amid their divorce since last year.

“After my estranged husband, arrested three times since I filed for divorce, assaulted me during a June 2025 custody exchange while I protected our son, he filed a retaliatory criminal complaint against me,” she said.

Payne said she turned herself in after a misdemeanor warrant was issued.

The Democrat’s husband denied ever assaulting his wife. Mediaite reported that Gibson was arrested in December for violating a protection order and using threatening language with his wife. He said the incident stemmed from a tense argument with his wife’s new boyfriend.

Payne and Gibson grabbed headlines in 2023 when Payne was running for office, and videos the couple had posted on the porn site Chaturbate were discovered and exposed.

The couple was accused of making the videos for “tips,” though they denied that the videos were for profit. At the time, Payne said she was determined to stay in the race.

“My political opponents and their Republican allies have proven they’re willing to commit a sex crime to attack me and my family because there’s no line they won’t cross to silence women when they speak up,” she said.

Santos Begs Trump For ‘Pardon, Commutation, Clemency, Whatever’

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A desperate plea…

Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who faces more than seven years behind bars after pleading guilty to wire fraud and identity theft, is seeking clemency from President Trump.

“I’ll take a commutation, clemency, whatever the president is willing to give me,” Santos told British media personality Piers Morgan in an episode of Morgan’s YouTube show “Uncensored” on Thursday.

“Seven years and three months in prison for a first-time offender over campaign matters just screams ‘over the top,’ and I would appreciate if the president would consider,” he added.

The disgraced former lawmaker also noted he is filling out paperwork to formally seek intervention from the White House before he reports to prison in July.

By U.S. House Office of Photography – https://santos.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/santos.house.gov/files/evo-media-image/rep_santos_george_official.jpg, Public Domain,

In his interview with Morgan, Santos blasted former Biden administration Attorney General Merrick Garland, whom Trump and other conservative allies have criticized and accused of weaponizing the Department of Justice against the president and his allies.

“I do believe this is an unfair judgment handed down to me,” he said Thursday. “I think there was a lot of politicization over the process.”

“Merrick Garland was by far the most disgraceful and disgraced political [attorney general] to ever serve in that capacity of the United States,” Santos said.

Santos was elected to represent New York’s affluent Long Island-centered 3rd District in 2022, becoming the first openly gay Republican to win a House seat as a nonincumbent before his fall from grace. The House expelled Santos from the chamber in a 311–114 vote in 2023, as ethics charges mounted against him.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia Taken Into Custody By ICE

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Arrest image via Pixabay

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the immigrant deported to El Salvador who became a political flashpoint for the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, was detained again on Monday

Speaking to reporters outside the ICE Field Office in Baltimore after Abrego Garcia was detained, his lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said ICE officials had declined to tell them where they were detaining Abrego Garcia prior to his removal, or tell them why they were arresting him. 

“As of the last five minutes, Mr. Abrego Garcia has filed a new lawsuit in the federal district court for the District of Maryland challenging his confinement and challenging his deportation to Uganda, or to any other country unless and until he’s had a fair trial— as in, an immigration court, as well as his full appeal rights,,” Sandoval-Moshenberg sad.

The habeas petition, filed in the U.S. District Court of Maryland, was assigned to U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who has presided since March over his civil case.

Abrego Garcia, who fled El Salvador as a teenager and lived in Maryland, addressed supporters before entering his appointment.

“My name is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and I want you to remember this, remember that I am free and I was able to be reunited with my family,” he said. “This was a miracle. Thank you to God and thank you to the community. I want to thank each and every one of you who marched, lift your voices, never stop praying, and continue to fight in my name.”

Abrego Garcia’s legal fight for months has dominated U.S. headlines, after he was deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador in violation of a 2019 court order. He faces a possible second deportation, this time to Uganda.

Shortly before his arrival Monday morning, immigration advocates, faith leaders, and other community members massed outside the field office at sunrise for a vigil, organized by two immigration advocacy groups.

The Trump administration returned him to the U.S. months after sending him to El Salvador, under orders from a federal judge and from the Supreme Court.

He was arrested upon return to the U.S. on human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennesee. He remained in federal detention until Friday, when he was released from U.S. custody and ordered to return to Maryland, where a judge said he could remain under electronic surveillance and under ICE supervision while awaiting trial.

ICE officials notified Abrego Garcia’s attorneys shortly after his release on Friday that they planned to deport him to Uganda.

The notice, sent by ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Adviser, said it was intended to “serve as notice that DHS may remove your client, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, to Uganda no earlier than 72 hours from now (absent weekends).”

Trump’s border czar Tom Homan told Fox News in an interview Sunday night that Abrego Garcia was “absolutely” going to be deported from the U.S, and said Uganda is “on the table” as the third country of removal. 

“We have an agreement with them. It’s on a table, absolutely,” Homan said in an interview on “The Big Weekend Show” Sunday evening.

“He is absolutely going to be deported,” Homan reiterated. 

For now, he said, Abrego Garcia “can enjoy the little time he has with his family. And for the person who says we’re not going to separate family, his family can go with him, because he’s leaving.”