Government asks to postpone meeting in Santos trial to continue negotiations

A judge has agreed to postpone a meeting scheduled this week in the case of Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) after prosecutors asked for more time for the parties to discuss “possible paths forward in this matter.”

In a court filing Tuesday, federal prosecutors in the case requested that a status conference scheduled for Thursday be postponed until Oct. 27. Santos joined the request, according to the prosecution.

“[T]he parties have continued to discuss possible paths forward in this matter. The parties wish to have additional time to continue those discussions,” prosecutors wrote.

Federal prosecutors said they also wanted to delay the status conference so Santos could review case material they are handing over to him.

Judge Joanna Seybert granted the government’s request later on Tuesday, setting the next status conference for Oct. 27.

Santos was indicted on 13 federal charges in May, connected to accusations that he misled campaign donors, fraudulently received unemployment benefits and lied on financial disclosures. The congressman pleaded not guilty.

Santos in recent weeks has said he’s not interested in a plea deal right now, while not ruling one out at some point in the future. Asked on NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live” last month whether he would consider a guilty plea, the congressman said, “Look, I don’t know.”

“I’m not making, I’m not making any assertions right now. Like I said earlier, I’m like, it’s — right now, the answer is no. But you just never know. Life is  — you don’t know what life’s gonna  come at you, you know. So,” he added.

Days before that, during an interview with FOX 5’s “Good Day New York,” Santos said, “Look, right now? No,” when asked if he would take a plea deal.

“Right now, I’m fighting to prove my innocence, and I think that’s what everybody should do,” he added.

Santos appeared to respond to the questions of a potential plea deal Tuesday, writing on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, “Word of the day: Speculation.”

“Meaning: The forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence,” the tweet added.

In May, the day Santos was indicted, prosecutors and the congressman agreed to pause the clock for the federal criminal trial for “engagement in continuing plea negotiations,” according to a separate court filing.

Santos has been a source of controversy since before he was sworn into office amid questions about his resume and biography. He faces calls to resign or be expelled on Capitol Hill, but has maintained his innocence and said he plans to continue serving out the rest of his term.

In May, a House Democrat forced a vote on a resolution to expel Santos, but the chamber ultimately voted to send the measure to the Ethics Committee, a move that was seen as largely redundant since the panel has been investigating the congressman for months.

Zach Schonfeld contributed. Updated at 6:06 p.m.