Trump says he commuted ex-Rep. George Santos' prison sentence

CQ-Roll Call on Oct 17, 2025

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Friday that he commuted the prison sentence of former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., in a social media post that mostly attacked Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

Santos pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft after prosecutors charged him with various schemes, including one that accused him of inflating his campaign’s fundraising numbers to receive financial support from the national party. The former lawmaker had been facing 23 charges.

A judge in April sentenced him to 87 months in prison. A stiff sentence, prosecutors argued, was necessary to protect the public from being defrauded again by the former lawmaker.

“Over the course of many years, Santos has returned to a criminal lifestyle,” prosecutors wrote in a filing. “He has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars; he has defrauded the elderly and impaired; he has victimized donors, political committees, government agencies.”

Trump said that Santos “was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison.”

“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated,” Trump wrote. “Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!”

Trump, in a long windup, said he was thinking about Santos when the subject of Blumenthal came up. The president repeated his view that Blumenthal had misrepresented his military service.

“His War Hero status, and even minimal service in our Military, was totally and completely MADE UP,” Trump said. “This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!”

Trump has repeatedly slammed Blumenthal for previously saying that he served “in Vietnam.” In 2010, the Marine Corps Reserve veteran said he meant to say he served “during Vietnam” and merely misspoke.

House lawmakers expelled Santos from the chamber in 2023. The move terminated Santos’ short congressional tenure, one in which the lawmaker faced ethics and criminal allegations as he became a lightning rod of attention.