President Donald Trump announced a pardon for the seven-year prison sentence of former New York Rep. George Santos on Truth Social. Trump’s post reads, “just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY.”
He also drew a comparison in his lengthy post between former New York Rep. George Santos and Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal. He added to the post, “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. I started to think about George when the subject of Democrat Senator Richard ‘Da Nang’ Blumenthal came up again.”
Trump had called for an investigation into Blumenthal to find the truth about his service in the Vietnam War. Meanwhile, Blumenthal had called the allegations deceptive and distorted. Trump continued, “This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!”
I’ll preface this by saying I agree with Trump commuting George Santos’ sentence.
But let’s admit it’s funny that the first congressman in modern history to serve prison time was released because there are members of Congress committing worse crimes & will never serve time. pic.twitter.com/TDrB75SIip
— Chadwick (@thechadwickpaul) October 18, 2025
Trump also mentioned that Santos had been kept in solitary confinement and was horribly treated for a long time. He concluded by wishing Santos “good luck and a great life.” Santos’s attorney reflected that they never lost hope, and his sentence was fair and commensurate.
Prosecutors had pushed for a longer sentence, citing his attention-seeking behavior. Santos was indicted in 2023; therefore, got expelled from the US House of Representatives. The disgraced congressman was given a seven-year prison sentence in 2024, convicted on 23 counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
In addition, Santos was also accused of lying and making advances on staffers. He was then sent to a New Jersey federal prison in July. He shared a message on X just before that, “Well, darlings. The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,” Santos wrote. “From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news, what a ride it’s been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days.”
Santos was released from prison on Friday night and picked up by his family after his sentence was commuted. According to the DOJ, his convictions will remain on his record.
