Rep. George Santos speaks to reporters outside the Capitol building on May 17, 2023.
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File
Indicted Republican Congress Member George Santos may be negotiating a plea deal amid his ongoing legal troubles, as prosecutors have sought to delay an upcoming court hearing to discuss “possible paths forward in this matter.”
The notorious pol, who has been caught in numerous and wide-ranging lies about his past and continues to support fellow Republican and four-time indicted former President Donald Trump, is facing charges on a 13-count indictment alleging that he misled campaign donors, lied on his financial disclosure forms, and received unemployment benefits he was not entitled to.
The first-term congress member, who represents Queens and Long Island, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Santos and prosecutors with the Eastern District of New York were set to be back in court on Thursday, Sept. 7, for a status conference, but the government lawyers on Tuesday wrote to Judge Joanna Seybert asking to delay that until Oct. 27 — as they’ve been talking with Santos’ legal team, and “the parties wish to have additional time to continue those discussions.”
Such a move is typical when prosecutors and defendants are engaged in serious talks about a plea deal.
The congress member did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though he told Talking Points Memo that he was not working on a plea deal, and reports to the contrary were “wildly inaccurate.”
It is possible that the delay is, in fact, not related to a possible settlement, as prosecutors say they’ve given Santos’ legal team “voluminous” discovery material in the case, and “defense counsel has indicated that he will need additional time to review that material.”
Still, the move, along with the announcement that both sides are engaged in talks about “paths forward” in the indictment, suggests that there may be new developments on the…
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