Have a great life!' Trump orders prison release of disgraced ex-lawmaker Santos

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 post on social media, Trump called for fairness and gave Santos the opportunity to "rebuild" his life after he had been kept in solitary confinement at a minimum-security jail in New Jersey.

Trump justified the move by criticizing a Democratic lawmaker, Senator Richard Blumenthal, whom he accused of fabricating his US military service. He claimed that this was far worse than what Santos did and that Santos showed "courage, conviction, and intelligence" by always voting republican.

Santos had admitted to stealing the identities of 11 people, including his own family members. A report from the House ethics panel accused him of misusing campaign funds for personal benefits, such as Botox and subscriptions on OnlyFans.

In May, Trump pardoned two other former Republican lawmakers - Michael Grimm, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to tax crimes, and John Rowland, who pleaded guilty in 2004 to corruption and fraud charges. However, it's worth noting that commutations do not void criminal convictions, unlike a pardon.

Santos began serving his sentence in July and had been kept in solitary confinement after a death threat in August. His letter to Trump, published earlier this week, repeated his plea for pardoning and apologized for his actions.

OMG u guys so like Trump just commuted George Santos' prison sentence... I cant even believe it Santos was doing 7 yrs for stealing identities & using ppl's info for his own gain... and now he gets to "rebuild" his life after being in solitary confinement . And Trump is all like "Santos showed courage & conviction by voting republican" idk about that... Santos was basically scamming people left & right . But I guess Trump thinks he's got a point since he went after Senator Blumenthal for supposed fake military service . It just seems like another weird move from Trump to me

"Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one's watching." It seems like President Trump isn't too concerned about integrity when it comes to those who break the law...

I'm so done with Trump's antics . Commuting George Santos' sentence just because he's a Republican is completely unacceptable. I mean, what about the other guys who have been convicted of real crimes? Like Michael Grimm, for example. He got off scot-free after being guilty of tax crimes in 2014 . And don't even get me started on Santos' actions – 11 people's identities stolen and misusing campaign funds? That's some serious wrongdoing .

And what really gets my goat is that Trump is justifying this move by comparing it to Senator Blumenthal's fabricated military service. Like, no one knows the difference between those two things . And Santos' "courage and conviction" by voting republican? Are you kidding me? He's a convicted felon with a history of identity theft .

I just don't get why Trump thinks he can pick and choose who gets a free pass to rebuild their life . It's just so unfair to the rest of us who play by the rules .

OMG I'm literally shook right now!!! So like, Donald Trump is trying to be the hero again by commuting George Santos' sentence and it's just so extra ! Like, Santos did some serious bad stuff - identity theft, misusing campaign funds... the list goes on . And Trump is just comparing him to Senator Blumenthal, who didn't do anything wrong... it's just not fair .

And can we talk about how Trump is basically saying that Santos showed "courage, conviction, and intelligence" for always voting republican? Like, what even is that? I mean, I get that he's trying to drum up support for the GOP, but c'mon man... it's just not right . And seriously, why is Trump picking on Blumenthal like this? It's just so underhanded .

I'm all about second chances and rehabilitation, but Santos really messed up big time . I just hope he takes the opportunity to rebuild his life and actually learn from his mistakes . But Trump... I don't know man... he's just doing what he wants to do . Ugh, the drama!

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one . Santos is basically saying he can just waltz back into politics because of Trump's pardon? Like, what even is the point of having a congressional investigation if you're gonna get a free pass? And Trump is using his own privilege to defend him - fabricating service as Trump did is WAY worse than stealing identities and embezzling campaign funds. I'm not buying it . Santos's apology doesn't cut it either, he needs real consequences for what he did. It feels like the system is just being manipulated again .

omg like what just happened?? i'm low-key shocked that trump commuted santos' sentence i mean Santos was outta control with the identity theft and campaign fund scams but come on 7 yrs in prison seems harsh. Trump's all about fairness now? meanwhile, I'm still waiting for him to clear his own name regarding those fake military service claims lol. what's next? Santos getting a boost from trump's $$$? onlyfans subs are being funded by the tax payer? not impressed

I'm not surprised about this commutation at all ... I mean, what's the point of even having laws anymore? Trump is just proving that he's got connections and can play favorites whenever he wants. And to make matters worse, Santos is basically getting a slap on the wrist compared to what Blumenthal did (or didn't do). It's not like Santos' crimes were as serious as what everyone else has done in politics - I mean, have you seen all the skeletons in some of these lawmakers' closets? Botox and OnlyFans subscriptions? Give me a break. Anyway, this just shows that Trump is out for himself and his buddies, and we're all just stuck with it

man...this is wild ...i mean, what's the message here? that if you're a republican, you can get away with some pretty shady stuff and still have trump vouch for you? it feels like we're just perpetuating this cycle of abuse where people in power use their influence to cover each other's backs. and what really gets me is how trump is framing santos' situation - he's not talking about the severity of the crimes or the harm caused, he's just talking about some perceived injustice against him. it's like we're losing sight of what's truly important here... fairness isn't just about pardoning someone who committed crimes, it's about holding people accountable for their actions. and that's something we should be questioning, not just blindly supporting those in power

I'm totally shook by Trump's decision . I mean, George Santos is facing 7 years behind bars for some pretty serious crimes, and now he gets a commutation? It's like, what's next? Giving pardons to people who have done way worse things than him? I get that everyone deserves a second chance, but this just feels so unfair . And can we talk about how Trump is using Santos' case to deflect from his own BS? Like, come on man, if you're going to criticize someone for fabricating their military service, at least have the guts to be honest about your own actions .

And let's not forget that Santos has been in solitary confinement for months because of a death threat - can't we just focus on keeping people safe instead of coddling convicted felons? This whole thing just feels like another example of Trump's utter disregard for the rule of law and his love of politics over principle .

I don't get why Trump is doing this . Santos broke the law big time - 11 people's identities stolen? That's not just a mistake, that's deliberate deception . And to compare him to someone who fabricated their military service? Come on, it's like apples and oranges . Santos may have shown some "courage" but at what cost? His own freedom, his reputation... how can Trump justify this? I think he's just trying to deflect attention from his own scandals . And let's not forget, Santos is still a convicted felon with a history of shady dealings . Can't we just focus on holding people accountable for their actions instead of making excuses for them?

man this is so messed up Trump is basically saying that it's okay to fake your identity and take advantage of people as long as you're voting republican and I'm not buying into the fact that Santos showed "courage, conviction, and intelligence" just because he kept voting for the party it's like Trump is saying that being a Republican trumps (no pun intended) integrity and honesty what kind of message does this send to others who might be tempted to do the same thing?

I'm literally SHOOK about this one!!! I mean, come on Donald Trump, you're basically saying that George Santos' life is more valuable than the lives of people who served in the military?! That's just despicable! And what really gets me is that he's trying to spin it like Santos showed "courage" and "conviction" for voting Republican Are you kidding me?! The dude stole identities, used campaign funds for personal benefits, and now he's playing the victim card? No thank you! I'm so done with Trump's lack of accountability and his disregard for basic human decency.

Ugh, come on Donald Trump ! One minute he's commutin' some dude's sentence without even seein' the full context of the case and the next he's actin' like a total dictator. I mean, what's with all these pardons? It's like he's tryin' to set an example for everyone else who might be thinkin' about stealin' some identities or breakin' some laws. Newsflash: it doesn't work that way!

And let's not forget Santos himself - the guy had it comin' after what he did. I mean, 11 people's identities? That's just plain crazy talk. And then you gotta add in all these other charges like campaign fund misuse... yikes . The dude was askin' for a slap on the wrist and now Trump's basically givin' him a free pass.

And can we please not forget that this is still an open investigation? I'm not buyin' into all the drama and spin around here. Let Santos serve his sentence like everyone else, or better yet, let the courts figure it out!