President Donald Trump commuted former Rep. George Santos‘s prison sentence on Friday after the disgraced Republican lawmaker was sentenced to seven years in prison for money laundering and wire fraud, among other things.
“George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison,” Trump wrote in a message on Truth Social.
“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!” he added.
The president’s intervention comes after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) urged him in August to commute Santos’s sentence.
“Many of my colleagues who I serve with have committed far worse offenses than Mr. Santos yet have faced zero criminal charges,” she argued in a letter to Trump, arguing that “a seven-year sentence for such campaign-related matters for an individual with no prior criminal record extends far beyond what is warranted.”
Santos reported to a New Jersey prison in July for his 87-month imprisonment after being accused of embezzling contributions from supporters, illegally obtaining unemployment benefits, and lying on House financial disclosures. He was expelled from the House after serving for less than a year in 2023.
During his brief time in Congress, Santos became a fixture on Capitol Hill, achieving notoriety and a reputation as a serial liar due to his unusual persona and allegations that he falsified much of his life story.
In late 2023, the House Ethics Committee announced it had uncovered evidence that Santos stole money from his own campaign and used it to buy Botox, go on shopping sprees at Sephora and Hermes, and pay for OnlyFans subscriptions.
Santos denied most accusations at the time but later made a plea deal in court and appeared to break down into sobs of remorse earlier this year upon being sentenced.
“I offer my deepest apologies,” Santos said in April. “I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead.”
Trump said this week that Santos deserved to be released because his crimes were not as severe as those of other lawmakers in Congress, such as Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). The president has long been among those who have criticized the senator due to the lawmaker’s false claims years ago that he served in Vietnam. Blumenthal apologized for exaggerating his military record in 2010 after an investigation by the New York Times.
“I started to think about George when the subject of Democrat Senator Richard ‘Da Nang Dick’ Blumenthal came up again,” Trump wrote as he announced Santos’s commutation.
“As everyone remembers, ‘Da Nang’ stated for almost twenty years that he was a proud Vietnam Veteran, having endured the worst of the War, watching the Wounded and Dead as he raced up the hills and down the valleys, blood streaming from his face. He was ‘a Great Hero,’ he would leak to any and all who would listen — And then it happened! He was a COMPLETE AND TOTAL FRAUD. He never went to Vietnam, he never saw Vietnam, he never experienced the Battles there, or anywhere else. His War Hero status, and even minimal service in our Military, was totally and completely MADE UP. This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!” Trump added.
The good news for Santos comes after he had previously suggested he was not sure he would make it out of prison alive.
“I don’t know that I survive it,” Santos told Tucker Carlson in July. “They’re putting me in a violent prison. … I’m not a streetwise guy. I don’t know how to fight.”
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He also had said he didn’t believe Trump would pardon him.
“I don’t think he can,” Santos told Politico. “He’s in a position where he needs to put the country ahead of one man, and that’s just a fact. He would lose support in the House from Republicans who have already capitulated.”
