“Trump Orders Immediate Prison Release of Disgraced Ex-Congressman Santos: ‘Have a Great Life!’”

 

US President Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of George Santos, a former Republican congressman who was serving seven years in prison for fraud and identity theft.

In a social media post, Trump said Santos “has been horribly mistreated” and added: “Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!”

Santos, expelled from Congress in 2023 after a damning ethics report, became only the sixth member in US history to be removed from office. He admitted to stealing the identities of 11 people, including family members, and had been serving his sentence at a minimum-security jail in New Jersey. He was released Friday night, according to US media reports.

“God bless President Donald J Trump,” said Santos’s lawyer, Joseph Murray, following the announcement.

At his sentencing in April, the judge told Santos: “You got elected with your words, most of which were lies.” Santos reportedly wept in court, asking for forgiveness and saying, “I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead.” Prosecutors had argued that the novice politician misrepresented his background and misused campaign funds to support his lifestyle.

Trump defended the commutation by criticizing Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, accusing him of fabricating his military service. “This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!” Trump wrote. Blumenthal has acknowledged misstatements about his military service over a decade ago but said the voters of Connecticut repeatedly re-elected him despite the claims.

Santos’s legal troubles began in 2022, after a New York Times investigation revealed that he lied about his résumé, including claiming a university degree and work experience at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. Further allegations surfaced, including misusing a fundraiser for a dying dog and falsifying details about his mother surviving the 9/11 attacks. Local and federal authorities eventually charged him with 23 federal felonies.

In 2023, Santos was expelled from Congress, becoming the first member removed in more than 20 years and only the sixth in history. The House ethics report cited his misuse of campaign funds for personal expenses, including Botox and subscriptions to OnlyFans. Santos had defeated a Democratic incumbent in 2022, flipping the district covering parts of Long Island and Queens, New York.

Earlier this week, Santos published an open letter to Trump in the South Shore Press, pleading for a pardon. He described being kept in solitary confinement after a death threat and expressed regret for his actions. “Mr President, I am not asking for sympathy. I am asking for fairness—for the chance to rebuild,” he wrote.

Santos began serving his sentence in July.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has issued pardons to at least two other former Republican lawmakers. In May, he pardoned former Congressman Michael Grimm, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to tax crimes, and former Connecticut Governor John Rowland, who pleaded guilty in 2004 to corruption and fraud charges.

Unlike a pardon, a commutation does not erase a criminal conviction.