Legal actions, National Guard disputes, and a deepening political scandal end a turbulent week in Washington.
Trump’s 39th week ended with indictments, immigration developments, and updates to the Young Republicans scandal. Former National Security Adviser John Bolton was indicted on allegations of mishandling classified documents, becoming the third critic of Trump to face charges, following previous reports from The Introspective detailing the indictments of former FBI Director James Comey for allegedly lying to Congress and New York Attorney General Letitia James for alleged bank fraud.
At the same time, President Trump commuted—and later rescinded—the prison sentence of former Rep. George Santos, who had previously been sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and identity theft. Meanwhile, following a previous Introspective report detailing racist and antisemitic messages from a leaked Young Republican National Federation group chat, the organization’s New York chapter shut down. The move came amid backlash as multiple Republican officials reported receiving American flags marked with swastikas.
As anti-immigrant sentiment continues, Trump petitioned the Supreme Court to approve the deployment of the National Guard to Chicago, following earlier reports highlighting his threats to send troops to the nation’s third-largest city and to Baltimore—despite both cities seeing declining crime rates. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents are continuing to receive pay during the ongoing government shutdown, raising concerns as many federal workers remain furloughed. Meanwhile, a judge ordered an ICE official to testify following the use of tear gas during a recent enforcement operation in Chicago.
Indictment, George Santos, and Republicans
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton was indicted on charges of transmitting and retaining national defense information, following a previous report from The Introspective detailing his Maryland home being raided over a “national security investigation.”
“There is one tier of justice for all Americans,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi in a press release.
“Anyone who abuses a position of power and jeopardizes our national security will be held accountable. No one is above the law.”
John Bolton Indictment
In a statement obtained by The Introspective, Bolton maintained his innocence and alleged the indictment was politically motivated.
“Donald Trump’s retribution against me began then [during Trump’s first term], continued when he tried unsuccessfully to block the publication of my book, The Room Where It Happened, before the 2020 election, and became one of his rallying cries in his re-election campaign,” he said.
“Now, I have become the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those he deems to be his enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts.”
Bolton later pleaded not guilty at a hearing on Friday.
At the same time, Trump commuted the seven-year prison sentence of former Rep. George Santos. He had previously pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Therefore, I just signed a commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck, George, have a great life!”
He was released Friday night, with his attorneys confirming his husband had picked him up from prison.
Meanwhile, following a previous Introspective report detailing racist, misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic, and sexually violent messages leaked from a Young Republican National Federation group chat, the New York chapter was shut down.
“The Young Republicans was already grossly mismanaged, and vile language of the sort made in the group chat has no place in our party or its subsidiary organizations,” said Ed Cox, chair of the New York Republican Committee, in a statement obtained by The Introspective, along with a formal notice being sent to the national chapter.
“This incident was immediately condemned by our most senior New York Republican elected leaders.”
This comes as several Republican offices have received American flags embedded with swastikas, including Rep. Dave Taylor, who had one hanging in his office.
“Numerous Republican offices have confirmed that they were targeted by an unidentified group or individual who distributed American flags bearing a similar symbol, which were initially indistinguishable from an ordinary American flag to the naked eye,” he said in a press release.
“My office was among those that were subjected to this ruse.”
A Politico report later detailed the flag being visible during a video call with legislative aide Angelo Elia, who did not acknowledge the flag.
“It was clearly behind him on the screen,” said a staff member in the report.
Immigration
As anti-immigrant sentiment continues, Trump asked the Supreme Court to allow the federal government to deploy the National Guard to Illinois, as ICE agents continue conducting raids throughout Chicago.
“Federal officials and federal property are the central targets of the violence that has roiled the Chicago area in recent weeks. An immediate administrative stay would allow the armed forces to provide the protection that the president has directed,” read the court filing.
Trump Supreme Court Request
This comes as a Reuters report detailed that up to 64,000 ICE officers are being paid throughout the ongoing government shutdown, despite more than 700,000 other federal employees being furloughed.
Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis ordered ICE officials to testify after they violated a restraining order she issued last week barring the use of tear gas and other forms of riot control against protesters.
“We are in an urban, densely populated area where crowds are going to converge when there’s a commotion, where appropriate crowd control is important,” she said.
“Underlying all of these policies is that everyone has to abide by their constitutional obligations. I am profoundly concerned with what has happened over the last week since I entered this order.”
She later amended her order to require ICE officers to wear body cameras during their operations.
Judge Ellis Order
The Introspective 
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