A federal magistrate ruled Tuesday to make public the names of the cosigners on indicted Rep. George Santos ’ $500,000 release bond, but said she’ll keep them secret for now to give his lawyer time to appeal the decision.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Anne Shields’ ruling came a day after Santos’ lawyer said the New York Republican would risk going to jail to protect the identities of his cosigners whose backing enabled his pretrial release.
The decision was a victory for news outlets including The Associated Press and The New York Times that petitioned Shields last week to unseal the names, citing a need for “the greatest transparency possible.”
