President Donald Trump announced Friday that he had commuted the prison sentence of former New York Rep. George Santos, who was serving an 87-month term for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Santos had been in federal custody since July.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY,” describing the former lawmaker as “somewhat of a ‘rogue.’” Trump contrasted Santos’ punishment with the case of Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who falsely claimed to have served in Vietnam for nearly two decades.
“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 said. He added that Santos, unlike Blumenthal, “had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!”
Santos pled guilty in August 2024 and was sentenced in April to over seven years in prison, $373,000 in restitution, and two years of supervised release. Trump emphasized that Santos had been held in solitary confinement and claimed he had been “horribly mistreated.”
Trump criticized Blumenthal, calling him “Da Nang Dick,” and accused him of fabricating military heroism. “His War Hero status, and even minimal service in our Military, was totally and completely MADE UP,” Trump wrote. “This is far worse than what George Santos did.”
Blumenthal has faced criticism in the past for falsely stating he served in Vietnam, though he has denied any intent to deceive, calling related reports “completely deceptive and distorted.”
With this commutation, Trump sends a message about what he views as political double standards in prosecution and punishment, particularly when comparing Santos’ criminal conduct to public deception by a sitting Democrat senator.
