Why Trump commuted George Santos prison sentence? Ex-GOP rep's criminal activity explained; details here

President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post said he was commuting the sentence of former Republican representative George Santos.

President Donald Trump on Friday announced on Truth Social that he was commuting the sentence of former Republican representative George Santos. Trump on his social media platform said ‘…at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!’.

George Santos is now at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, in southern New Jersey.(AP)

Trump started his post saying “George Santos was somewhat of a “rogue,” but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison.” He drew comparisons to Senator Richard Blumenthal who Trump called “Da Nang Dick” and claimed that the Democrat lied about serving in the Vietnam War.

“George Santos was somewhat of a “rogue,” but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison. I started to think about George when the subject of Democrat Senator Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal came up again,” the President said.

“As everyone remembers, “Da Nang” stated for almost twenty years that he was a proud Vietnam Veteran, having endured the worst of the War, watching the Wounded and Dead as he raced up the hills and down the valleys, blood streaming from his face. He was “a Great Hero,” he would leak to any and all who would listen — And then it happened! He was a COMPLETE AND TOTAL FRAUD. He never went to Vietnam, he never saw Vietnam, he never experienced the Battles there, or anywhere else. His War Hero status, and even minimal service in our Military, was totally and completely MADE UP,” Trump added.

Then he continued, “This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN! George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!”.

What did George Santos do?

Santos was sentenced to 87 months in prison for committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He was also asked to pay restitution to his victims to the amount of $373,749.97 and $205,002.97 in forfeiture. He had pled guilty in 2024.

He is now at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, in southern New Jersey, as per the federal Bureau of Prisons.

The former Congressman has carried out a wide range of scams as detailed by the Justice Department.

• In the ‘Party Program Scheme’ Santos, then the candidate for the United States House of Representatives in New York’s Third Congressional District, came up with a fraudulent way of getting money for the campaign from the Federal Election Commission (FEC). He did so by turning in materially false reports, and inflated the campaign’s fundraising numbers to mislead the FEC, and the public. To qualify for a program to get financial and logistical support for his campaign, Santos had to show he'd raised at least $250,000 from third-party contributors in one quarter. He did so by falsifying records.
• In the ‘Credit Card Fraud Scheme’ between July 2020 and October 2022, Santos carried out a scheme to steal personal identities and financial information of his campaign contributors. Then, he repeatedly charged their cards without authorization.
• There was also the ‘Fraudulent Political Contribution Solicitation’ scheme, where he defrauded prospective political supporters through a limited liability company, the Justice Department said, noting this had begun in September 2022.
• He also pulled off the ‘Unemployment Insurance Fraud’ scheme in 2020, during the Covid outbreak, where despite having a job, Santos applied for government assistance, to get unemployment benefits. There he lied and said he'd been out of a job since March.

He had also lied to the House of Representatives, overstating his income and assets significantly. Then FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia had said of his sentencing, “George Santos blatantly disregarded campaign finance laws and abused the trust of his constituents and contributors. While he may have made a mockery of his position in public office, today’s sentencing is justice for those he has wronged.”