Donald Trump Releases George Santos from Prison and Wishes Disgraced Ex-Congressman ‘Good Luck’

Former President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of George Santos, the former New York congressman convicted of multiple federal fraud charges.

Trump announced the decision in an Oct. 17 post on Truth Social, writing that he had “just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY.” In the same post, Trump compared Santos to Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal.

“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,” Trump wrote. “I started to think about George when the subject of Democrat Senator Richard ‘Da Nang Dick’ Blumenthal came up again.”

According to CNN, Trump had previously called for a federal investigation into Blumenthal in July, alleging that the senator lied about his service in the Vietnam War. Blumenthal denied the allegations, telling the outlet that Trump’s claims were “completely deceptive and distorted.”

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

Trump also alleged that Santos had been held “in solitary confinement for long stretches of time” and claimed that he had been “horribly mistreated.” He concluded the post by wishing Santos well: “Good luck George, have a great life!”

Santos’ attorney, Robert Fantone, responded in a statement, saying, “We never gave up on him, and now it looks like George’s sentence is fair and commensurate with the nature and severity of conduct.”

Santos was convicted in August 2024 on 23 counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He was later sentenced to seven years in prison, with prosecutors seeking a longer sentence due to what they described as his “belligerent” and “attention-seeking” behavior. Santos was indicted in 2023 and expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives shortly thereafter.

He reported to a New Jersey federal prison on July 25, sharing a farewell message on X the night before his sentence began.

“Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,” Santos wrote. “From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news, what a ride it’s been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days.”

While the commutation means Santos will be released from prison, his convictions remain. The U.S. Department of Justice explains that “a commutation of sentence does not change the fact of conviction, imply innocence, or remove civil disabilities that apply to the convicted person as a result of the criminal conviction.”