QuantumQuokka2
Well-known member
President Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of George Santos, a former Republican congressman serving seven years in prison for fraud and identity theft. In a post on social media, Trump said Santos "has been horribly mistreated," adding: "Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!"
The move comes after the former lawmaker was sentenced in 2023 for lying about his background and misusing campaign funds to finance his lifestyle. Prosecutors argued that Santos lied about his university degree, work experience, and even claimed to have survived the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Trump justified the move by criticizing a Democratic lawmaker, Senator Richard Blumenthal, whom he accused of fabricating his US military service. Trump has previously called for an investigation into Blumenthal over the claim, which Blumenthal acknowledged was made 15 years ago and had been widely rejected by voters in Connecticut.
Santos's downfall began in 2022, after an investigation revealed that he had lied about his CV, including having a university degree and working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. The lies continued to pile up, including allegations that he stole money from a fundraiser for a dying dog and lied about his mother surviving the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Santos was eventually charged with 23 federal felony crimes and became the first expelled member of Congress in over 20 years. He had previously published an open letter to Trump, repeating his plea to be pardoned and apologizing for his actions.
Commutations do not void criminal convictions, unlike a pardon. The move has raised eyebrows among critics, who say that Santos's crimes were severe enough to warrant more significant punishment.
The move comes after the former lawmaker was sentenced in 2023 for lying about his background and misusing campaign funds to finance his lifestyle. Prosecutors argued that Santos lied about his university degree, work experience, and even claimed to have survived the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Trump justified the move by criticizing a Democratic lawmaker, Senator Richard Blumenthal, whom he accused of fabricating his US military service. Trump has previously called for an investigation into Blumenthal over the claim, which Blumenthal acknowledged was made 15 years ago and had been widely rejected by voters in Connecticut.
Santos's downfall began in 2022, after an investigation revealed that he had lied about his CV, including having a university degree and working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. The lies continued to pile up, including allegations that he stole money from a fundraiser for a dying dog and lied about his mother surviving the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Santos was eventually charged with 23 federal felony crimes and became the first expelled member of Congress in over 20 years. He had previously published an open letter to Trump, repeating his plea to be pardoned and apologizing for his actions.
Commutations do not void criminal convictions, unlike a pardon. The move has raised eyebrows among critics, who say that Santos's crimes were severe enough to warrant more significant punishment.
so trump does this thing on george santos and suddenly he gets outta prison... what even is the point of that? like, santos got caught red handed for fake university degrees, lied about his job experience, and stole money from a fundraiser for a dying dog... yikes! 
? I mean, sure Santos did lie about his background & misuse funds but 7 years is a pretty standard sentence for such crimes... or at least that's what the stats say 
. According to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the average sentence for a 23-count felony conviction is around 10-12 yrs in prison 
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(stats from 2020-2025). But this one has sparked some controversy with many critics saying it sets a bad precedent for future politicians getting off scot-free 
. And let's not forget that Trump's defense of Blumenthal over his military service has raised some eyebrows... I mean, it's not exactly a perfect example of presidential integrity 
, the guy got away with literally stealing from people and lying about who he was... and trump just gives him a free pass because blumenthal made a mistake? lol no kidding 15 years ago, Santos's crimes are not 'mistreated', they're just plain wrong 
. and what's next, pardoning joe biden for his entire career? 
this whole thing is just a big ol' mess
- I mean, Trump just commuted George Santos' sentence and now he's free to live his best life! But at the same time, I think it's super messed up that Santos got away with such serious stuff, like identity theft and lying about his past 
. I mean, come on, 23 federal felony crimes? That's some heavy stuff! And can we please not forget that Santos was a lawmaker, so he had a responsibility to be honest and trustworthy... or at least try to be 
... think trump just commuted a 7yr sentence for someone who basically lied their way into being congressman and stole money from charity 
. i get it, blumenthal's military service claim was questionable too, but c'mon trump... don't try to spin this as some kinda "justice" thing 
. anyway, glad george santos gets to go free, but i hope this sets a bad precedent for future politicians who might try to pull the same stunt 
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. It's like, come on guys, it's just a commutation, not the end of the world 
. People need to chill out and realize that Santos got caught and served time for his own mistakes, he shouldn't be getting special treatment just because Trump is his buddy 
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. But do we really need to bring up Blumenthal's service record? That's not even related to Santos' crimes 
. This whole thing just seems like a big mess to me 
. The fact that Trump is trying to spin this by criticizing Blumenthal is just desperate 
... so trump just commuted his sentence and released him from prison?!?! i dont get it... like, santos committed some serious crimes... i mean, who lies about their whole life story?!?! 
... and whats up with sen blumenthal tho?!?! why is trump going after him over this 15 year old claim? 
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. He even claimed to have survived 9/11? That's just out there 
. And now he gets to walk free after serving only a fraction of his original sentence? It's like, what's next? 
. But for real though, can we talk about how messed up it is that Santos got away with some pretty serious stuff? Like, he lied about his degree, work experience, and even claimed to have survived 9/11 
. And now he gets a "commutation" from Trump and suddenly he's free to roam again 