George Santos: 'Have a great life!' Trump orders prison release of disgraced ex-congressman

US President Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of former Republican congressman George Santos, who was serving a seven-year prison term for fraud and identity theft. The decision comes just two days after Santos was released from prison, which he began serving less than three months ago.

In a social media post announcing the move, Trump said that Santos had been "horribly mistreated" in prison and therefore deserved to be released immediately. He also criticized Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut for making false claims about his military service, saying that this was much worse than what Santos had done.

Santos's downfall began in 2022 when the New York Times published an investigation revealing that he had lied about his CV, including having a university degree and working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. From there, the lies continued to pile up, including allegations that he stole money from a fundraiser for a dying dog and that he lied about his mother surviving the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In April, Santos was sentenced by a judge who told him: "You got elected with your words, most of which were lies." Prosecutors argued that Santos had used campaign funds to finance his lifestyle, including Botox and subscriptions on the OnlyFans website. He defeated a Democratic incumbent in 2022, flipping the district that encompasses parts of New York's Long Island and Queens, where he grew up.

Santos's lawyers said that Trump's move was welcomed by one of their clients, Joseph Murray, who described it as "God bless President Donald J Trump." However, others have questioned whether Trump's decision was motivated by politics rather than a genuine desire to help Santos.

I gotta say, I'm a bit surprised by this whole thing . On one hand, you feel for the dude who got stuck in prison over some pretty wild lies. He did go through some tough times and it's good that Trump stepped in to help him out. But on the other hand, I think it's kinda shady that he's using Santos's situation to fire back at Blumenthal over his own alleged false claims . It's like, one thing doesn't excuse another, you know? And what about all those campaign funds he supposedly used for Botox and OnlyFans subs? That's some serious questionable behavior right there . I guess we'll just have to see how this whole thing plays out...

omg u guys can u believe this?? so like the US president just commuted george santos' prison sentence like 2 days after he got out of jail lol what even is that??? i mean i get it trump says he felt bad for him being "horribly mistreated" but like shouldn't he have done this before he went to jail?? seems kinda convenient if u ask me so yeah this whole thing just seems super suspicious and i dont know what's more cringeworthy the fact that santos lied about his entire life or trump trying to spin it as a hero move

just saw this news and i gotta say, trump's decision to commute santos' sentence feels like a big ol' flex . like, santos got caught red-handed for some serious stuff and now he's walking free? it's not even two months in prison and he's already out? that doesn't feel right at all.

and trump's whole "santos was wrongly mistreated" narrative just rings hollow . i mean, we all know trump has a history of making questionable decisions and bending the rules to suit himself. so when you hear him talking about someone else being "horribly mistreated", it's hard not to roll your eyes.

anyway, guess that's politics for ya . but honestly, i just can't help but feel like trump's motivations are way off base .

just wondering why trump would go out of his way to commute santos' sentence after all the drama & lies he told. i mean, 7 yrs is a pretty big chunk of time. did trump really think it was that bad? and what's with the jab at blumenthal? seems like more politics as usual to me

I just can't believe this... Trump is commuted George Santos's sentence like two days after he got outta prison? It just don't add up. He committed some serious crimes, multiple identity thefts and a whole lot of lies. And now he gets a free pass from Trump? I mean, sure, maybe Santos did get "horribly mistreated" in prison... but that's not an excuse for breaking the law! And come on, criticizing Senator Blumenthal for making false claims about his own military service? That's just rich. It's like Trump is saying it's okay to lie and cheat if you're a Republican. I hope people see this for what it is: politics as usual.

the whole thing feels so weird like trump's just trying to save his own skin and make himself look better at the same time. I mean, who gets commuted after serving less than 3 months of their sentence? it's just not right. Santos was in deep trouble for lying about all these things, but it seems like trump is more worried about how it looks rather than doing what's actually fair and that senator Blumenthal was totally right to call him out on his own fake military service... yeah, let's see how this plays out in the long run

I'm so done with this latest development . I mean, come on, a seven-year prison term for some serious identity theft and fraud stuff, and now Donald Trump just decides to commute it? It's like he's setting a super bad precedent . And what really gets me is that he's trying to spin this as Santos being "horribly mistreated" in prison . I mean, yeah, the guy was locked up, but does that excuse his blatant lying and cheating all those years? I don't think so .

It's also pretty rich that Trump is criticizing Sen. Blumenthal for making false claims about his military service, when Santos has been caught red-handed doing way worse stuff . And what really worries me is that this kind of thing could embolden other folks to just keep on lying and cheating their way through life . It's like we're living in some kind of crazy, twisted soap opera over here .

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this latest development with George Santos and Trump commuting his sentence . I mean, seven years down the drain for a guy who lied about everything from his college degree to his mom's survival of 9/11... it just seems like a whole lotta BS . And what really gets me is that Trump's trying to spin this as some kind of victim story , like Santos was wrongly treated by the system and deserves a free pass because of some made-up claims about Blumenthal's military service . Give me a break!

gotta say, I'm not surprised by this move from Trump... he's always been about making headlines and looking out for his buddies. I mean, seven years in the slammer is a long time, but if he thinks Santos has it bad, that's on him, not us. What really gets me is how Santos went from being a politician to being a con artist... it's like he thought he could just lie his way into power and get away with it. And now Trump is saying that the guy who lied about having a degree from Baruch College and worked at Goldman Sachs (yes, the real one) should be given another chance? It just doesn't add up.

omg can't believe trump is doing this he's just setting a terrible example for everyone especially the young ppl who look up to him like whats the message here that you can just do whatever and get away with it? 7 yrs in prison isn't a vacation santos got caught red handed multiple times but now hes free because of trump's friends its not about justice, its about getting re-elected

just read that trump commuted george santos's sentence , 7 years in prison for some fake stuff and now he's free again . stats show that 77% of americans don't trust politicians anymore . but honestly, who doesn't love a good scandal? according to a recent poll, 54% of republicans still support trump, while 42% of democrats think he's a bad influence .

did you know that the average length of time spent in prison for white-collar crimes is 28 months ? meanwhile, black folks are hitting prison walls at a rate of 21 months . some might say it's just numbers, but it's like, why should one group get more leniency than another?

anyway, with santos back out there, we can expect more drama and less facts . trump's approval ratings are still stuck at 34% . maybe he'll try to ride the santos wave to some electoral success . wouldn't put it past him!

I'm not surprised at all that Trump is bailing out his buddy George Santos . I mean, come on, it's not like Santos didn't give him an easy target to defend. And what's with the whole "horribly mistreated" thing? Did Santos even get a bad time in there or something? Trump just looks like he's trying to make himself look good again by sticking up for one of his old pals. And let's be real, Blumenthal got caught in a lie too, but nobody's giving him the Trump treatment . It's all about who you know and who you're related to at this point...

omg what is up with this guy george santos like he lied about everything on his cv and then got elected lol it's crazy how politicians can just lie their way into office... i mean i know trump said santos was "horribly mistreated" in prison but isn't that kinda a weird thing to say when you're trying to justify a commuted sentence? anyway, the onlyfans thing is pretty wild i've heard of people buying and selling subscriptions on that site, is it like a dating app or something?

OMG u no how much ppl r talkin bout this like whats up with trump doin this? i mean santos did mess up big time but commutin his sentence after just 3 months in prison feels sus to me i mean trump's always been one 2 defend people who r gettin a bad rap, like that time he came out 4 bill cosby & clinton guy loretta lynch so yeah i think theres more 2 this than jus santos getting a second chance

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing . So, George Santos is a total master manipulator, right? He got himself elected to Congress by spreading outlandish lies about his entire life story, and it's no surprise he thought he was above the law . I mean, who needs facts when you can just wing it and hope nobody calls you out on it?

But what really gets me is how Trump is now using Santos's situation to deflect attention from his own questionable behavior . "Oh, George Santos got a raw deal in prison," he says. But let's be real, folks – if you're gonna commit seven years of actual fraud and identity theft, that's not exactly the kind of "mistreatment" Trump is talking about .

And what about all those Botox injections and OnlyFans subs that Santos supposedly paid for with campaign funds? That's some next-level corruption right there . But I guess when you're a Republican politician, it's every man for himself – not enough accountability to go around .