On October 17, Trump signed a commutation for disgraced former congressman and political ally, George Santos. Santos was immediately released from prison after the sentence was commuted.
Trump commuted Santos’ sentence, which was over seven years, despite the latter himself admitting to egregious wrongdoing in the form of a guilty plea.
Last year, he pleaded guilty to charges of committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, conduct that prosecutors said was part of a yearslong scheme that preyed upon the campaign finance system and his own political party, donors and family members to line his own pockets.
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Santos won a 2022 House seat utilizing a falsified resume. He was federally indicted in 2023 over wire fraud and money laundering. Santos would become one of the few congressmen to be expelled from the House of Representatives in December 2023 after a House Ethics Committee report, released the preceding month, confirmed Santos’ criminality.
A senior and unnamed White House official stated that Trump was encouraged to commute Santos’ sentence after “many people wrote to him about it.” It is unclear who these “people” are. However, it is known that right-wing extremist congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly advocated for the release of Santos. She pretended not to know why Santos was in solitary confinement, although the reason, death threats against him, is known to the public.
Despite Trump’s claim to support veterans and active duty troops, Santos has been accused of stealing charitable proceeds toward the dog of a Navy veteran, Richard Osthoff, who needed lifesaving surgery. The $3,000 that Santos allegedly stole would have saved the life of that dog, according to the veteran.
On May 11, 2023, Santos entered a deal with Brazilian prosecutors to pay restitution and confess to stealing checks “to buy clothing and other goods in 2008.”
