Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of George Santos, claiming that the former congressman, who was expelled from the House and has been serving a seven-year prison sentence, has been “horribly mistreated.”
Trump wrote on Truth Social, “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.”
In his post, Trump compared Santos’ case to that of Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who apologized in 2010 for misleading statements about his military record. Blumenthal has called Trump’s claims “simply untrue” and linked to a fact check.
In his post on Friday, Trump wrote that “at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN! 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!”
Santos was seated in 2023, but even by then, he already was the subject of scrutiny over his false claims about his background. He was sentenced in April after pleading guilty to fraud and identify theft charges. He also was ordered to pay restitution of $373,749.97 and forfeiture of $205,002.97.
Santos was expelled from Congress in December, 2023, after the release of a devastating ethics committee report. The report concluded that he “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.” The report also concluded that he “cannot be trusted.”
The post Donald Trump Commutes Sentence Of George Santos appeared first on Deadline.
