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!” President Trump declared.
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. Greene emphasized 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 to begin serving his 87-month sentence. He was convicted of embezzling contributions from supporters, illegally obtaining unemployment benefits, and lying on House financial disclosures. Santos was expelled from the House after serving less than a year in 2023.
During his brief time in Congress, Santos became a fixture on Capitol Hill, gaining 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 for personal expenses, including Botox treatments, shopping sprees at Sephora and Hermès, and subscriptions to OnlyFans.
Santos denied most accusations at the time but later entered a plea deal. Earlier this year, upon sentencing, he appeared to break down in sobs of remorse. “I offer my deepest apologies,” Santos said in April. “I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead.”
President Trump stated this week that Santos deserved to be released because his crimes were not as severe as those of other lawmakers, such as Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). Trump has long criticized Blumenthal over false claims he made years ago about serving in Vietnam. Blumenthal publicly apologized in 2010 after a New York Times investigation revealed he had exaggerated his military record.
“I started to think about George when the subject of Democrat Senator Richard ‘Da Nang Dick’ Blumenthal came up again,” Trump wrote when announcing 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!”
The good news for Santos comes after he had previously expressed fears about surviving prison. “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.”
Santos also doubted that Trump would pardon him. “I don’t think he can,” he 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.”
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**Trump Pardons and Commutations: Notable Acts of Clemency in His Second Term**
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/crime/3855728/trump-commutes-rogue-ex-house-republican-george-santoss-sentence/
