(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump sat down for a prime-time town hall on CNN on Wednesday, a day after he was found liable for battery and defamation in the E. Jean Carroll civil case.
A New York jury awarded Carroll a total of $5 million in the lawsuit, finding that they found Trump did not rape Carroll but sexually abused her. When directly asked Wednesday night about the verdict by moderator Kaitlan Collins, CNN This Morning anchor and former CNN chief White House correspondent, Trump continued to deny knowing Carroll, at one point declaring “I swear on my children.”
In the exchange with Collins, Trump also mocked the version of the sexual assault incident that Carroll’s lawyers told jurors.
The live town hall was held in New Hampshire, home to the first-in-the-nation GOP primary. The audience at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown was made up of Republicans and undeclared voters — those who are not registered as Democrats or Republicans — who plan to vote in the state’s 2024 GOP presidential primary, CNN said. No questions were off the table, Collins said Wednesday night.
In addition to the Carroll case, myriad legal issues loom over the twice-impeached former president’s third White House bid. Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last month, becoming the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. He pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Trump additionally faces multiple investigations, including into his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence.
During the roughly hour-long town hall, Collins asked Trump if he still has any classified documents in his possession.
“I don’t have any,” Trump responded. “I have no classified documents.”
Trump, the current GOP primary front-runner, is the first candidate CNN provided a town hall setting to as part of a series of such forums during the 2024 presidential cycle. It marks the first time Trump appeared on CNN since the 2016 presidential campaign.
Critics of CNN said it should not be giving Trump a live, prime-time platform — normalizing him as just another presidential candidate — while CNN has stated it was only giving Trump the same platform it would be giving other 2024 presidential hopefuls.
President Joe Biden took to social media following the town hall to campaign for his re-election bid, tweeting: “It’s simple, folks. Do you want four more years of that? If you don’t, pitch in to our campaign.”
(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is taking drastic measures to limit pollutants coming from industries that cause the most environmental harm in an effort to bring the country closer to its climate goals.
The EPA plans to announce Thursday new regulation to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, which are currently unregulated despite being the second-largest source of emissions in the country.
The new rule will apply to some, but not all, existing natural gas power plants. It will also apply to any new natural gas plants as well as facilities that burn coal or oil, according to the EPA.
“The proposed limits and guidelines would require ambitious reductions in carbon pollution based on proven and cost-effective control technologies that can be applied directly to power plants,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a briefing with reporters on Wednesday.
The power sector produced 25% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2021. The rule, which is expected to go into effect in 2030, allows power plants to use carbon capture to reduce their emissions while continuing to burn fossil fuels.
The administration says tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act will help reduce the cost of carbon capture technology, which up to this point has been seen as too expensive for wide-scale deployment.
The rule will prevent up to 617 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions through 2042, the equivalent of reducing the emissions of half the cars in the U.S., the EPA said. It would also generate an estimated $85 billion in net benefits to the climate and health benefits from reducing other types of pollution.
The power sector has reduced its emissions 35% since 2005, according to the EPA.
The federal rule is another push toward making the country’s power sector completely carbon-free, Brian Murray, director of Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University, told reporters on Wednesday.
“I think this is going to lead to over the next two decades, fossil units that are still around are going to be they’re going to have adopted some technology to keep carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere,” Murray added.
This is not the first time the federal government has attempted to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants but there are no current regulations in place. The centerpiece proposal from the Obama administration, the Clean Power Plan, never went into effect.
The Supreme Court ruled last year that law went too far and exceeded EPA’s authority by telling utilities they had to shift power generation away from fossil fuels.
Under the Biden Administration, the EPA is taking a more straightforward approach by saying that power plants must reduce their emissions but leaving the decision of how to do that up to companies. EPA projects that some coal power plants will retire as a result of this rule but those decisions will be made by the companies, not the government.
That decision forced EPA to focus on more traditional approaches to controlling pollution, Jay Duffy, litigation director for Clean Air Task Force, told ABC News.
“EPA has authority under the Clean Air Act to reduce emissions commensurate with the best technologies that are available,” Duffy said. “That’s the end of its authority.”
The EPA expects a negligible impact on energy prices as a result of this rule, Regan said.
Even though the benefits from the proposal are described as through 2042, Regan and National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said they’re confident it will help the country reach the climate commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement — and set by President Joe Biden — to reduce emissions 50% to 52% by 2030.
The proposal reinforces the country’s ability to meet the goal in a critical sector of the economy, the power sector, Zaidi said.
“Every action that we take that reinforces that trajectory, firms up our footing, firms up our path to achieve that goal and increases the odds that we will unlock the full economic upside and public health gains associated with meeting that target,” Zaidi said on a call with reporters.
(WASHINGTON) — California Sen. Dianne Feinstein arrived at the Capitol for the first time in three months on Wednesday, gingerly emerging out of a gray sedan with the help of aides who assisted her into a black wheelchair.
The 89-year-old Democrat, welcomed back by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, said she was feeling “much better” after being absent while she recovered from shingles.
Feinstein’s arrival came just moments after a statement from her office confirmed that her long-awaited return, which notes that she will be working on a “lighter schedule” on doctor’s orders as she continues to recover.
She entered the Capitol about 3 p.m., following two of the day’s three series of Senate votes.
“Even though I’ve made significant progress and was able to return to Washington, I’m still experiencing some side effects from the shingles virus. My doctors have advised me to work a lighter schedule as I return to the Senate. I’m hopeful those issues will subside as I continue to recover,” Feinstein said in the statement.
On Wednesday, Feinstein asked aides repeatedly, “Why can’t I walk?” before being wheeled into the Capitol, with her right eye was visibly red. The senator said said she had something in it.
Feinstein’s return restores Democrats’ 51-49 majority in the Senate. After being hospitalized in February, Feinstein’s absence in the upper chamber had become a sticking point for some members of her party who become increasingly frustrated with the fact that — without her — Republicans could block Democrats from voting President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Some on the party’s left flank, including California Rep. Ro Khanna and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, argued the federal judiciary could be harmed if Feinstein didn’t step down.
“I want to treat Dianne Feinstein fairly. I want to be sensitive to her family situation and her personal situation,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin said on CNN on Sunday. “But the bottom line is, the business of the committee and of the Senate is affected by her absence.”
Feinstein, in her statement, said she was looking forward to “resuming” her work on the Judiciary Committee.
“The Senate faces many important issues, but the most pressing is to ensure our government doesn’t default on its financial obligations. I also look forward to resuming my work on the Judiciary Committee considering the president’s judicial nominees,” she said.
(NEW YORK) — A day after a New York jury verdict that found Donald Trump liable for battery and defamation flooded the airwaves, it appeared on Wednesday to have caused little more than a ripple on the 2024 campaign trail.
To be sure, the finding in the civil case that a former president and campaign front-runner should pay $5 million for sexually abusing and defaming columnist E. Jean Carroll marked what would normally be a stunning story. Yet, critics and allies alike suggested it would do little to knock Trump off his perch atop primary polls as he seeks a third straight GOP presidential nomination.
“I think many Republican voters think one of two things. One, is they view this in a larger context of the media and the left and those in New York City and elsewhere are out to get him, out to get Trump. Whether it’s the indictment stuff, the FBI raids, whatever it might be, this is another piece to all of that,” said one adviser to a possible Trump primary opponent.
“Second, I think there’s such a drumbeat of all this stuff that I think eventually folks tune it out,” this person added. “A lot of people have made up their mind about him. There are no undecided people when it comes to the former president. So, if you don’t like Donald Trump, you were still not gonna like Donald Trump. If you like Donald Trump, this isn’t gonna change your mind.”
The expected impact on the campaign trail was reflected in comments from Trump’s GOP primary rivals, which either cast doubt on whether voters cared about the verdict or cast doubt on the proceedings themselves.
“I’ll say what everyone else is privately thinking: if the defendant weren’t named Donald Trump, would we be talking about this today, would there even be a lawsuit?” Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and author running in the primary, asked in a statement.
“I’m not going to get into that,” former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley told radio host Hugh Hewitt Wednesday. “I’m doing town halls all over Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina. And they are concerned about inflation. They’re concerned about their kids’ education. They’re concerned about the border and how out of control it is. They’re concerned about crime and what’s happening with why is there a Chinese spy balloon flying over us. Those are the things they care about.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to launch a presidential campaign in the coming weeks, dodged a question on the verdict at a news conference Wednesday, and former Vice President Mike Pence, another potential presidential aspirant, told NBC News that he didn’t expect voters to pay much attention to it and that he “never heard or witnessed behavior of that nature” while serving in Trump’s administration.
As of Wednesday afternoon, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was the only GOP presidential contender to directly take on Trump over the verdict.
“Over the course of my over 25 years of experience in the courtroom, I have seen firsthand how a cavalier and arrogant contempt for the rule of law can backfire. The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump,” he said in a statement.
The reluctance to bash the former president underscored both Trump’s grip over a large slice of the GOP base and the electoral reality for many of his rivals.
“All of his opponents, with the exception for maybe one or two, are in a place where they need to introduce themselves right now. And there’s little to gain by introducing themselves in the terms of a New York jury verdict about a case of this nature regarding Donald Trump,” the adviser to a possible opponent said.
But even off the campaign trail in Washington, Trump drew only a handful more detractors.
While Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said the verdict “doesn’t put a check mark in the positive category” and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said “I hope the jury of the American people reach the same conclusion which is he is not fit to become the president of the United States,” even critics in Washington were less bullish.
“I think that people who hate Trump will always hate Trump regardless of what he does. I think people who love Trump will always love Trump regardless of what he does, so I think it’s kind of a non-issue,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., who last year called DeSantis the leader of the GOP.
Other strategists suggested that while the verdict itself might not turn off primary voters, the compilation of scandals could make voters concerned enough over his ability to win a general election that they might turn to a primary alternative.
“This stuff is mostly priced in, and a lot of Republicans have a reflexive need to defend Trump, who is always under attack from his perceived enemies. That said, this is another log on the fire, and the cumulative effect of these indictments and potential indictments, including this judgement will add up for voters. It goes not only to his character but to his electability,” said Iowa-based GOP strategist David Kochel.
However, the kind of fractured response following the verdict could help Trump once again defy political gravity when accused of sexual misconduct and other scandals, said anti-Trump GOP pollster Sarah Longwell.
Longwell told ABC News that a recent seven-person focus group she conducted included only one person who had heard of the Carroll case and that even an avalanche of scandal might not be enough to undermine Trump’s support if the reaction to Tuesday’s verdict repeats itself.
“These verdicts have the potential to change something, but it requires Republicans to get loud about them,” Longwell said. “As long as Trump’s 2024 rivals and elected Republicans don’t in one voice speak out against Trump whenever he’s indicted or impeached or found liable in a sexual assault case, as long as they continue to run cover for him, the Republican voters are gonna continue to feel like it’s fine to continue to support Trump.”
Longwell added that disjointed Republican responses to past scandals and controversial remarks from Trump have helped beliefs like widespread election fraud seep deep into the GOP base.
And with a broad swath of the party believing the former president is victim of a “witch hunt,” some suggest the Carroll verdict could help solidify his campaign position.
“It’s just a bunch of liberals up there anyway,” Moye Graham, the chair of the Clarendon County, South Carolina Republican Party said of the New York jury. “I don’t think it’ll change a thing … It might make him stronger.”
(NEW YORK) — Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., has been indicted on 13 counts, including seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York said Wednesday.
The embattled congressman was taken into custody Wednesday morning on Long Island, New York.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 10, 4:24 PM EDT
Santos says he’ll vote on border bill tomorrow
Addressing reporters outside the Long Island federal courthouse after his arraignment, Santos said his case is about being “innocent until proven guilty.”
“I have my right to fight to prove my innocence,” he said.
The freshman congressman, who was released on bond, said he’ll return to Washington to vote on the House Republicans’ border security bill tomorrow.
“I have to go back and vote tomorrow,” Santos said. “We have one of the most consequential vote in this Congress, which is a border bill, and I’m very looking forward to being there.”
Saying “the media is not jury or the judge,” Santos said he would present evidence of his innocence “to the jurist and to the judge in this courthouse.”
“If Congress requested, I will present it to them as well,” he said.
May 10, 4:00 PM EDT
‘I will get to clear my name,’ Santos says
Asked by ABC News’ Rachel Scott why he would apply for unemployment benefits while he had a job that paid $120,000 a year as alleged in the federal indictment, Santos said, “This is inaccurate information.”
“I will get to clear my name on this. During the pandemic, it wasn’t very clear. I don’t understand where the government is getting their information, but I will present my facts.”
“My employment was changed during the time,” he said of the period when prosecutors allege he collected $24,000 in unemployment funds under false pretenses. “I don’t understand where the government’s coming from. I’ll present my defense.”
May 10, 3:49 PM EDT
Santos says he won’t resign
Speaking to reporters outside the Long Island federal courthouse following his arraignment, Santos said that he will not resign from Congress as a result of his indictment.
“I’m going to fight my battle,” Santos said. “I’m going to deliver. I’m going to fight the witch hunt. I’m going to take care of clearing my name and I look forward to doing that.”
May 10, 2:46 PM EDT
Santos won’t have to wear ankle monitor
Ryan Harris, a federal prosecutor speaking on behalf of the government, laid out the conditions of Santos’ bond, which defense counsel had agreed to as “something palatable for both of us.”
Among the conditions, Santos can travel within the continental U.S. — but must notify pretrial services before doing so.
He can travel freely within and between New York City, Long Island, and Washington, D.C.
A spokesperson for the Eastern District of New York confirmed that Santos will not be required to wear an ankle monitor.
Santos’ next hearing is scheduled for June 30.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin and Lucien Bruggeman
May 10, 2:37 PM EDT
Santos to be released on $500,000 bond
Santos will be released on $500,000 bond now that his arraignment has concluded.
At his arraignment, where he pleaded not guilty, Magistrate Judge Anne Shields read a summary of the charges against Santos and notified him of his rights — to which Santos replied, “Yes, ma’am.”
Santos confirmed that he had read the indictment and had consulted with his attorney.
Before the hearing began, Santos’ attorney, Joe Murray, told a group of reporters that Santos was feeling “good” and was looking forward to the hearing, where he was “finally going to get to address the allegations.”
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin and Lucien Bruggeman
May 10, 2:28 PM EDT
Santos pleads not guilty
Santos has pleaded not guilty to all charges at his arraignment at the Long Island federal courthouse.
May 10, 1:29 PM EDT
Santos’ attorney arrives at courthouse
Santos’ lawyer, Joe Murray, and congressional aide Vish Burra have entered the Long Island federal courthouse where Santos is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon.
Neither responded to questions from reporters as they made their way inside.
May 10, 12:52 PM EDT
Several House Republicans reiterate calls for Santos to resign
About a dozen GOP members of the House had previously called on Santos to resign or be expelled from Congress in the face of allegations against him, and several of them are reiterating that stance today.
In a statement today, fellow New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, said, “The charges against Rep. Santos are extremely serious and deeply disturbing and as I’ve previously said, he simply doesn’t have the trust of his constituents or colleagues. The sooner he leaves, the sooner his district can be represented by someone who isn’t a liar and fraud.”
Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., told reporters on his way into a conference meeting this morning, “I can’t wait for him to be gone.”
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Tex., tweeted, “George Santos should be immediately expelled from Congress and a special election initiated at the soonest possible date,” while Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., told reporters, “This has been going on now since we took the majority. Frankly, I would have hoped along the way that Mr. Santos would have done what I believed was the right thing and not force leadership to force his action, but for him to do it on his own.”
The office of Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, says his position remains unchanged from the his Jan. 12 statement which said, in part, “I do not believe George Santos can effectively serve and should resign.”
In other statements released Tuesday night by Santos’ fellow New York Republicans, Rep. Nick LaLota said, “These charges bring us one step closer to never having to talk about this lying loser ever again,” while Rep. Mike Lawler said, “I reiterate my call for George Santos to step down” and Rep. Anthony D’Esposito said, “As a retired NYPD Detective, I am confident the justice system will fully reveal Congressman Santos’ long history of deceit, and I once again call on this serial fraudster to resign from office.”
Other GOP House members from New York who have previously called for Santos to step down include Rep. Nick Langworthy and Rep. Brandon Williams.
Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., told CNN Tuesday night, “I do believe that if a member of Congress is charged with a federal crime they should resign,” and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told CNN, “We should really hold our own accountable and recruit someone who’s going to be better.”
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller, Gabe Ferris, Katherine Faulders and Jay O’Brien
May 10, 11:16 AM EDT
House GOP leadership standing by Santos
House Republican leadership is continuing to stand by Santos following the 13-count indictment. Among the House’s GOP leadership, there have been no calls today for Santos to resign.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy says that Santos, “like every American,” will have his “day in court.”
“He will go through his time in trial and let’s find out how the outcome is,” McCarthy said.
The speaker said that Santos “was never put on committee, so he won’t serve on committee.”
Asked if money laundering, wire fraud, and lying to Congress concerns him, McCarthy responded, “It always concerns me.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, during a press conference this morning, said that the charges were serious — but did not call on Santos to resign.
“There’s a presumption of innocence, but the charges are serious,” Scalise said. “He’ll have to go through the legal process.”
-ABC News’ Gabe Ferris, Lauren Peller and Katherine Faulders
May 10, 10:33 AM EDT
Santos misled House about finances, indictment says
In addition to being charged with defrauding campaign donors and falsely applying for unemployment benefits, the indictment alleges that Santos mislead the House of Representatives about his finances, specifically in to two financial disclosure forms he filed as a candidate.
in May 2020, during his first unsuccessful campaign, Santos overstated one source of income while failing to disclose his investment firm salary, the indictment says.
And in September 2022, while running again, Santos again included falsehoods in his financial disclosure forms, according to the indictment.
Santos lied about earning a $750,000 salary and between $1 million and $5 million in dividends from his company, the Devolder Organization, according to the indictment, and falsely claimed to have a checking account that held between $100,000 and $250,000, and a savings account with deposits of between $1 and $5 million.
“These assertions were false. Santos had not received from the Devolder Organization the reported amounts of salary or dividends,” prosecutors said in the indictment.
May 10, 10:17 AM EDT
Santos to be arraigned this afternoon, could face 20 years
Santos was placed under arrest this morning and will be arraigned on the indictment this afternoon.
He was placed under arrest on a 13-count, 19-page indictment that outlines three main schemes.
If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 20 years in prison — though it’s by no means certain he would serve that much time.
May 10, 10:11 AM EDT
Santos defrauded campaign donors, prosecutors say
Federal prosecutors in Central Islip, New York, accuse Santos of engaging in a “scheme to defraud” his campaign donors.
According to the indictment, Santos solicited donations for his run for office “under the false pretense” that those funds would actually be used for politics.
Instead, prosecutors said Santos spent “thousands of dollars of the solicited funds on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments.”
Santos is also charged with illegally receiving unemployment benefits during the pandemic even though “he was employed and was not eligible for unemployment benefits,” the indictment said.
Santos is also charged with lying to the House of Representatives on his financial disclosures. Taken together, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. Santos relied on “repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself.”
May 10, 9:59 AM EDT
Santos received unemployment while working: Docs
Among the accusations in the charging documents are allegations that Santos applied for unemployment benefits during the pandemic, falsely claiming to have been unemployed since March 2020, according to prosecutors.
He collected money from then until April 2021, “when Santos was working and receiving a salary on a near-continuous basis and during his unsuccessful run for Congress,” referring to his first run for the job, which he lost. In total, prosecutors say he collected more than $24,000 in benefits.
He was actually being paid a $120,000 salary as regional director of an investment firm at the time, according to prosecutors.
(ISLIP, N.Y.) — A federal grand jury has indicted Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., on 13 counts centering around three alleged schemes, according to court documents. The congressman, who was sworn into office in January, was taken into custody Wednesday morning on Long Island.
Santos is charged with five counts of wire fraud in what prosecutors allege was a fraudulent political contribution solicitation scheme. He’s charged with two counts of unlawful monetary transactions for allegedly transferring donations he received for his political campaign to accounts he controlled before spending them on personal purchases, according to the indictment.
He is charged with one count of theft of public money and two more counts of wire fraud for allegedly fraudulently applying for and receiving unemployment benefits during the pandemic.
Santos is also facing two counts of making false statements to the U.S. House of Representatives in financial disclosure reports.
He pleaded not guilty on Wednesday afternoon and said he would defend himself against the allegations in a press conference afterward. “I’m going to fight the witch hunt. I’m going to take care of clearing my name and I look forward to doing that,” he said.”
Scheme to solicit political contributions
Prosecutors allege Santos “devised and executed a scheme to defraud supporters of his candidacy for the House and to obtain money from them” by persuading them to contribute funds to a company he created under the “false pretense” that it would be used for his political campaign.
Santos then allegedly spent thousands of dollars of the solicited funds on personal expenses, including “luxury designer clothing and credit card payments,” according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors allege Santos lied to campaign funders, telling them the company he set up was a social welfare organization or a super PAC. Campaign finance laws require expenditure committees to register with the Federal Election Commission as super PACs within 10 days of receiving contributions or spending more than $1,000 in a calendar year, but Santos allegedly knew his company was not registered as such, according to prosecutors.
Santos allegedly told donors that there were “no limits” on how much contributions could be. At least one person then made contributions to his campaign that exceeded the limit set by campaign finance laws, according to the indictment.
Santos allegedly sent prospective donors one or more text messages or emails requesting donations, claiming the funds would be used for TV advertisements to support his candidacy for the House of Representatives, according to the indictment.
Santos allegedly received two $25,000 donations from funders who were under the false impression that Santos would use the funds to put his advertisements on TV, based on text messages and emails sent to the donors, but the funds were not used for ads or campaign expenditures, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors allege the funds were then transferred into bank accounts controlled by Santos before being spent “for his personal benefit, including to make cash withdrawals, personal purchases of luxury designer clothing, credit card payments, a car payment, payments on personal debts, and one or more bank transfers” to his personal associates, according to the indictment.
Unemployment benefits
Santos is also accused of fraudulently applying for and receiving COVID-19 pandemic-era unemployment benefits, receiving about $24,744 in unemployment benefits, according to the indictment.
On June 17, 2020, Santos allegedly applied to receive New York state unemployment insurance benefits, falsely claiming that he had been unemployed since March 22, 2020, according to prosecutors.
Santos then allegedly certified his eligibility for unemployment benefits on a weekly basis through April 15, 2021, falsely attesting in each instance that he was unemployed despite being a regional director at an investment firm from Feb. 3, 2020, through April 15, 2021, according to prosecutors.
Santos allegedly received a salary of about $120,000 per year from the firm, according to prosecutors.
When asked specifically about the charge outside court, he called the accusation “inaccurate.”
False statements to the US House of Representatives
Santos is also accused of making false statements in two financial disclosures to the House of Representatives that he filed as a candidate.
During his first unsuccessful campaign for office in May 2020, Santos allegedly overstated one source of income while failing to disclose a salary he received from an investment firm, according to the indictment.
When he ran for office again in 2022, Santos allegedly included falsehoods in his financial disclosure forms, according to the indictment. In his 2022 disclosure, Santos lied about earning a $750,000 salary and between $1 million and $5 million in dividends from his company, the Devolder Organization, and Santos falsely claimed to have a checking account that held between $100,000 and $250,000, and a savings account with deposits of between $1 and $5 million, according to the indictment.
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., has been indicted on 13 counts, including seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York said Wednesday.
The embattled congressman was taken into custody Wednesday morning on Long Island, New York.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
May 10, 3:49 PM EDT
Santos says he won’t resign
Speaking to reporters outside the Long Island federal courthouse following his arraignment, Santos said that he will not resign from Congress as a result of his indictment.
“I’m going to fight my battle,” Santos said. “I’m going to deliver. I’m going to fight the witch hunt. I’m going to take care of clearing my name and I look forward to doing that.”
May 10, 2:46 PM EDT
Santos won’t have to wear ankle monitor
Ryan Harris, a federal prosecutor speaking on behalf of the government, laid out the conditions of Santos’ bond, which defense counsel had agreed to as “something palatable for both of us.”
Among the conditions, Santos can travel within the continental U.S. — but must notify pretrial services before doing so.
He can travel freely within and between New York City, Long Island, and Washington, D.C.
A spokesperson for the Eastern District of New York confirmed that Santos will not be required to wear an ankle monitor.
Santos’ next hearing is scheduled for June 30.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin and Lucien Bruggeman
May 10, 2:37 PM EDT
Santos to be released on $500,000 bond
Santos will be released on $500,000 bond now that his arraignment has concluded.
At his arraignment, where he pleaded not guilty, Magistrate Judge Anne Shields read a summary of the charges against Santos and notified him of his rights — to which Santos replied, “Yes, ma’am.”
Santos confirmed that he had read the indictment and had consulted with his attorney.
Before the hearing began, Santos’ attorney, Joe Murray, told a group of reporters that Santos was feeling “good” and was looking forward to the hearing, where he was “finally going to get to address the allegations.”
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin and Lucien Bruggeman
May 10, 2:28 PM EDT
Santos pleads not guilty
Santos has pleaded not guilty to all charges at his arraignment at the Long Island federal courthouse.
May 10, 1:29 PM EDT
Santos’ attorney arrives at courthouse
Santos’ lawyer, Joe Murray, and congressional aide Vish Burra have entered the Long Island federal courthouse where Santos is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon.
Neither responded to questions from reporters as they made their way inside.
May 10, 12:52 PM EDT
Several House Republicans reiterate calls for Santos to resign
About a dozen GOP members of the House had previously called on Santos to resign or be expelled from Congress in the face of allegations against him, and several of them are reiterating that stance today.
In a statement today, fellow New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, said, “The charges against Rep. Santos are extremely serious and deeply disturbing and as I’ve previously said, he simply doesn’t have the trust of his constituents or colleagues. The sooner he leaves, the sooner his district can be represented by someone who isn’t a liar and fraud.”
Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., told reporters on his way into a conference meeting this morning, “I can’t wait for him to be gone.”
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Tex., tweeted, “George Santos should be immediately expelled from Congress and a special election initiated at the soonest possible date,” while Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., told reporters, “This has been going on now since we took the majority. Frankly, I would have hoped along the way that Mr. Santos would have done what I believed was the right thing and not force leadership to force his action, but for him to do it on his own.”
The office of Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, says his position remains unchanged from the his Jan. 12 statement which said, in part, “I do not believe George Santos can effectively serve and should resign.”
In other statements released Tuesday night by Santos’ fellow New York Republicans, Rep. Nick LaLota said, “These charges bring us one step closer to never having to talk about this lying loser ever again,” while Rep. Mike Lawler said, “I reiterate my call for George Santos to step down” and Rep. Anthony D’Esposito said, “As a retired NYPD Detective, I am confident the justice system will fully reveal Congressman Santos’ long history of deceit, and I once again call on this serial fraudster to resign from office.”
Other GOP House members from New York who have previously called for Santos to step down include Rep. Nick Langworthy and Rep. Brandon Williams.
Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., told CNN Tuesday night, “I do believe that if a member of Congress is charged with a federal crime they should resign,” and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told CNN, “We should really hold our own accountable and recruit someone who’s going to be better.”
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller, Gabe Ferris, Katherine Faulders and Jay O’Brien
May 10, 11:16 AM EDT
House GOP leadership standing by Santos
House Republican leadership is continuing to stand by Santos following the 13-count indictment. Among the House’s GOP leadership, there have been no calls today for Santos to resign.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy says that Santos, “like every American,” will have his “day in court.”
“He will go through his time in trial and let’s find out how the outcome is,” McCarthy said.
The speaker said that Santos “was never put on committee, so he won’t serve on committee.”
Asked if money laundering, wire fraud, and lying to Congress concerns him, McCarthy responded, “It always concerns me.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, during a press conference this morning, said that the charges were serious — but did not call on Santos to resign.
“There’s a presumption of innocence, but the charges are serious,” Scalise said. “He’ll have to go through the legal process.”
-ABC News’ Gabe Ferris, Lauren Peller and Katherine Faulders
May 10, 10:33 AM EDT
Santos misled House about finances, indictment says
In addition to being charged with defrauding campaign donors and falsely applying for unemployment benefits, the indictment alleges that Santos mislead the House of Representatives about his finances, specifically in to two financial disclosure forms he filed as a candidate.
in May 2020, during his first unsuccessful campaign, Santos overstated one source of income while failing to disclose his investment firm salary, the indictment says.
And in September 2022, while running again, Santos again included falsehoods in his financial disclosure forms, according to the indictment.
Santos lied about earning a $750,000 salary and between $1 million and $5 million in dividends from his company, the Devolder Organization, according to the indictment, and falsely claimed to have a checking account that held between $100,000 and $250,000, and a savings account with deposits of between $1 and $5 million.
“These assertions were false. Santos had not received from the Devolder Organization the reported amounts of salary or dividends,” prosecutors said in the indictment.
May 10, 10:17 AM EDT
Santos to be arraigned this afternoon, could face 20 years
Santos was placed under arrest this morning and will be arraigned on the indictment this afternoon.
He was placed under arrest on a 13-count, 19-page indictment that outlines three main schemes.
If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 20 years in prison — though it’s by no means certain he would serve that much time.
May 10, 10:11 AM EDT
Santos defrauded campaign donors, prosecutors say
Federal prosecutors in Central Islip, New York, accuse Santos of engaging in a “scheme to defraud” his campaign donors.
According to the indictment, Santos solicited donations for his run for office “under the false pretense” that those funds would actually be used for politics.
Instead, prosecutors said Santos spent “thousands of dollars of the solicited funds on personal expenses, including luxury designer clothing and credit card payments.”
Santos is also charged with illegally receiving unemployment benefits during the pandemic even though “he was employed and was not eligible for unemployment benefits,” the indictment said.
Santos is also charged with lying to the House of Representatives on his financial disclosures. Taken together, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. Santos relied on “repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself.”
May 10, 9:59 AM EDT
Santos received unemployment while working: Docs
Among the accusations in the charging documents are allegations that Santos applied for unemployment benefits during the pandemic, falsely claiming to have been unemployed since March 2020, according to prosecutors.
He collected money from then until April 2021, “when Santos was working and receiving a salary on a near-continuous basis and during his unsuccessful run for Congress,” referring to his first run for the job, which he lost. In total, prosecutors say he collected more than $24,000 in benefits.
He was actually being paid a $120,000 salary as regional director of an investment firm at the time, according to prosecutors.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday continued to pressure House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans to increase the debt limit without tying it to their spending proposal just one day after his meeting with congressional leaders that produced no progress.
“Our economy would fall into recession, and our international reputation would be damaged in the extreme. We shouldn’t even be having this, talking about this situation,” Biden warned, during remarks in New York’s Hudson Valley.
“[I]f we default on our debt, the whole world is in trouble. This is a manufactured crisis. There’s no question about America’s ability to pay its bills. America is the strongest economy in the world and we should be cutting spending and lowering the deficit without a needless crisis in a responsible way,” he added.
Speaking at a community college in Valhalla, New York, Biden defended himself against McCarthy’s repeated criticism that it took more than 90 days for Biden to meet with him again about the debt ceiling. Biden said that the delay was McCarthy’s fault — for not laying out a GOP budget proposal.
“Yesterday, I brought congressional leaders together at the White House to make sure America doesn’t default on its debt and for the first time in our history,” Biden said, “And by the way, I know the speaker keeps saying, ’93 days ago I said to Biden, I want to talk to him.'”
Biden continued: “I said, ‘Fine.’ I said, ‘You put down your budget; I’ll put down mine.’ I laid mine down in detail on the fourth — on the ninth of – of March. He didn’t put down his so-called budget — I don’t know whatever — what’d you call it — his connecting the two items. He didn’t do that until — five days after he did it, I invited him to the White House.”
He again noted that McCarthy is beholden to the more extreme members of Congress.
“They have a speaker who has his job because he yielded to the, quote, ‘MAGA’ element of the party,” he said.
Meanwhile, Biden again praised Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for saying the U.S. won’t default — as Biden did during his remarks late Tuesday.
“I was pleased but not surprised by the Republican leader in the United States Senate, McConnell, who said after the meeting in the White House, and he went to the press, he said, the United States is not going to default,” Biden said. “It never has and it never will.”
“We shouldn’t even be talking about it,” Biden added.
Biden was speaking in a congressional district he won in 2020 but whose House seat a Republican won.
That Republican, Rep. Mike Lawler, decided to attend alongside Biden — a rarity for a Republican congressman when the president visits.
Biden noted Lawler — who he described as being “on the other team – was there.
“Mike is the kind of guy that when I, when I was in the Congress, he was a kind of Republican I was used to deal with, but he’s not one of these MAGA Republicans which I’m going to talk a little bit about,” Biden said. “I don’t want to get them in trouble by saying anything nice about them or negative about them but I, thanks for coming Mike, thanks for being here. This way we used to do it all the time.”
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Homeland Security is assigning hundreds of asylum officers to the border to sort through the region’s recent surge in humanitarian needs, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday.
“Short-term solutions” are needed to address the “decades-old problem” of a “broken immigration system,” Mayorkas said in explaining the surge.
“We are clear-eyed about the challenges we are likely to face in the days and weeks ahead. … We are taking this approach within the constraints of a broken immigration system that Congress has not fixed for more than two decades and without the resources we need: personnel, facilities, transportation and others that we have requested of Congress and that we were not given,” he said.
The rising number of migrants crossing the border “places an incredible strain on our personnel, our facilities and our communities with whom we partner closely,” he added.
Asked about reports that Customs and Border Protection is releasing migrants due to capacity issues, Mayorkas said those migrants are still required to meet strict conditions and report back to authorities, adding those releases only occur in limited circumstances.
“Like other administrations, when we release individuals, we release them on conditions — and their compliance with those conditions is absolutely necessary. And if they fail to comply, we will seek to apprehend them and remove them,” he said.
The department is facing one of its greatest tests in the coming days when severe border restrictions — first ordered by the Trump administration — will finally come to an end. With the potential for an unprecedented humanitarian disaster, Border Patrol agents are bracing for the worst.
Standing on the banks of the Rio Grande River, Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told ABC News his agents are prepared but need more help.
“I certainly need more Border Patrol agents out here on the front lines,” Ortiz added. “I need to be able to build an enterprise behind them to process the migrants that we encounter each and every day.”
Ortiz has studied the landscape of the southwest border for decades, marshaling resources across the nearly 2,000-mile borderline. Homeland Security has ramped up its ability to quickly deport migrants while striking deals with Mexico to take on more of the burden. The question now is: Will it dam back the influx of expected migration?
With an order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the Trump administration, Title 42 of the U.S. code has allowed authorities at the border to rapidly expel migrants, citing the desire not to spread COVID-19.
Without the pandemic justification, that practice will end, removing a critical — and controversial — tool from the Border Patrol’s toolbox. The fast-track nature of the expulsions has limited opportunities for migrants to apply for asylum after being suspected of crossing into the U.S. illegally. Those concerns persist as the administration works to replicate the expedited nature of Title 42 expulsions while promising to prosecute those who repeatedly attempt crossing illegally.
“You know, we may not expel you, but we’re going to do everything we can to repatriate you because there’s got to be consequences to our immigration system,” Ortiz said, referring to the formal process of deportation that was the standard before Title 42.
But deportations take time, and under U.S. law, noncitizens have the right to request asylum — a process that can stretch out for months or years. The asylum case backlog reached an all-time high last year of more than 1.5 million, according to researchers at Syracuse University.
The number of migrants arriving in the southwest has remained persistently high despite significant drops since 2022. Last month, Border Patrol made 163,695 apprehensions nationwide, down from a historic peak of 225,100 in May 2022.
But border communities, and the agents protecting them, remain under strain. On a recent trip to the Rio Grande Valley, where the massive river serves as the U.S.-Mexico dividing line, ABC News watched as the U.S. Border Patrol surveilled the region and made arrests. A team from ABC News watched as a mother and her two young daughters were taken into custody after crossing on a raft. Later that morning, a group of three men were taken into custody after being found asleep in dense brush.
Fearing for their safety and privacy, those arrested declined to provide details of their reasons for crossing. But the men expressed relief at the prospect of getting some temporary shelter and water from Border Patrol.
Those from Mexico will have the opportunity to return voluntarily if they cannot meet the standard for lodging asylum claims.
But migrants from other countries — especially those with strained U.S. diplomatic relationships, like Colombia and Venezuela — pose a greater challenge for repatriation. International flights require logistical coordination and tight security measures.
Those challenges prompted the U.S. to strike a deal with Mexico to begin accepting up to 30,000 Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who don’t qualify for asylum each month. At the same time, the U.S. has rolled out a parole system to allow the same number of migrants from those countries the opportunity to seek asylum or other forms of humanitarian protections.
And now, even tighter asylum restrictions will target those who cross through multiple countries without first applying for legal authorization outside the U.S. Only migrants with “exceptionally compelling circumstances” will be able to challenge the higher bar for asylum eligibility, according to DHS. These exceptions include severe medical emergencies, “extreme,” “imminent,” and “severe” threats of rape, kidnapping torture or human trafficking.
Advocacy groups and thousands of immigrant rights supporters have opposed the restrictions. Pro-immigrant groups have called these requirements an effective ban on asylum given the difficulties many migrants face in navigating legal pathways from outside the U.S. The American Civil Liberties Union called the new rules “unfair, unwise, and illegal” and urged the Biden administration to reverse course after the proposal was announced earlier this year.
“The end of Title 42 should have been a time for the United States to reset and return to the humane asylum system promised by this administration. But instead this administration is recycling yet another anti-asylum Trump ban. We will sue as we did under the Trump administration,” Lee Gelernt, lead counsel on challenges to Title 42 and the Trump administration’s asylum bans, said.
Lawsuits challenging the restrictive policies are expected.
(NEW YORK) — Texas’ gun laws have long come under scrutiny from gun reform groups and anti-violence activists who argue that too many loopholes put firearms in the wrong hands.
“We seem to be in an endless cycle of gun violence taking the lives of our children and neighbors while our lawmakers do absolutely nothing to prevent it. We do not and should not have to live this way,” Kat Vargas, a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action, said in a statement following Saturday’s mass shooting at an outlet mall in Allen.
Some Texas leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, and gun rights groups have pushed back against criticism, contending that residents have a right under the Second Amendment to carry a firearm.
“People want the quick solution,” Abbott told reporters Sunday after the shooting. “The long-term solution here is to address the mental health issue.”
Who can buy, carry firearms in Texas?
Texas is one of 25 states in the U.S. that do not require permits or registration for concealed or open carry of firearms.
Restrictions
There are some cases where a Texas resident can be barred from purchasing and carrying a firearm.
Gun access for residents under 18
Aside from some activities, such as hunting and a shooting range with adult supervision, Texas residents under 18 are not allowed to carry or possess a firearm.
Where guns are prohibited in the state
Although Texas is an open carry state, there are some prohibitions when it comes to certain locations.
