Good news for anyone who had “A$AP Rocky causes a minor diplomatic incident with Sweden” on their officially licensed 2019 Political Fuckery Bingo Boards: The rapper is now out of jail and back in the States, after the Trump White House reportedly put pressure on Swedish courts to ensure his release. (Anyone who has now completed their full bingo, meanwhile, is welcome to head over to their own liquor cabinet to claim their prize.) Rocky has been in Swedish jail since early July, when he was arrested on charges of “gross assault” after getting involved in a fight in Stockholm with a couple of men who appear to have been harassing him and his security staff.
A number of celebrities—including Kim Kardashian-West—have asked Trump to intervene on the rapper’s behalf, something he was happy to crow about doing on Twitter. Per NBC News, the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs wrote a letter to the Prosecution Authority of Sweden, asking that Rocky and his co-defendants be moved out of prison and into a hotel for supervision while the trial was pending. The country’s Prosecutor-General responded with a letter re-asserting the rights of Swedish prosecutors to operate independently and without political pressure; however, the courts still ruled yesterday that the rapper could be released from custody and allowed to leave the country while the verdict against him was still pending. (It’s set to be handed down on August 14.)
Rocky arrived back in the country last night; he has since issued a statement of gratitude to his fans and supporters (as well as the Swedish court) via social media.