'Have a great life!' Trump orders prison release of disgraced ex-lawmaker Santos

October 18, 2025

President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of George Santos, a former Republican congressman who was serving seven years for fraud and identity theft. Santos, who was expelled from Congress in 2023 following a damning ethics report, had admitted to stealing the identities of 11 people and was convicted of 23 federal felony crimes. In his announcement, Trump claimed Santos had been "horribly mistreated" and justified the commutation by criticizing Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal for allegedly fabricating military service claims.

Who is affected

George Santos (former Republican congressman)
The 11 people whose identities Santos admitted to stealing, including his own family members
Voters and constituents from Santos's former New York district (Long Island and Queens)
The integrity of the U.S. congressional system

What action is being taken

President Trump has signed a commutation releasing Santos from prison immediately
Santos is being released from a minimum-security jail in New Jersey
Trump is publicly criticizing Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal as justification
Trump is continuing to pardon or commute sentences of former Republican lawmakers

Why it matters

Santos is only the sixth lawmaker in U.S. history to be expelled from Congress
The commutation comes after Santos served only a portion of his seven-year sentence
The case highlights the president's broad commutation and pardon powers
It demonstrates Trump's willingness to support Republican figures regardless of their criminal convictions
The commutation maintains Santos's criminal record, as commutations don't void convictions (unlike pardons)

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC