In a recent announcement on Truth Social, President Donald Trump revealed his decision to commute the seven-year prison sentence of former New York Representative George Santos, a member of the Republican party.

The case brings to mind the controversy surrounding Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. Back in 2010, a New York Times investigation uncovered that Blumenthal had falsely claimed service in Vietnam, yet he remains in the Senate. Over the years, Blumenthal has been involved in activities such as questioning Attorney General Pam Bondi on legal obligations and filing Hatch Act charges against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

George Santos, elected in 2022 to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District, quickly gained notoriety for the wrong reasons. He faced intense scrutiny, particularly from Democrats, leading to an ethics probe. This investigation found that Santos had deceived the Federal Elections Commission, falsified his biography, and committed wire fraud by unauthorized charges on donors’ credit cards. In 2023, a bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives led to his expulsion. By August 2024, Santos admitted to charges of wire fraud and identity theft, resulting in a prison sentence exceeding seven years.

Fast forward to August 2025, when our editor Becca Lower highlighted an interview where Trump spoke with Newsmax’s Rob Finnerty. During their conversation, Finnerty inquired about Trump’s stance on potentially pardoning several individuals. Trump’s response was characteristically straightforward:

Watch: Pres. Trump Puts to Bed the Swirling Media Speculation on Possible Pardons As Only He Can

After Santos was elected in 2022 as a Republican congressman for New York’s 3rd Congressional District, he immediately made a reputation for himself, and not in a good way. It didn’t take long for the long knives to come out against him — especially from Democrats. An ethics investigation was mounted, and it revealed that he had lied to the Federal Elections Commission, misrepresented his biography, and committed wire fraud through charging his donors’ credit cards without their permission. In 2023, both Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives voted to expel Santos. In August 2024, Santos pleaded guilty to the charges of wire fraud and identity theft, and was sentenced to over seven years in prison for his crimes.

Fast forward to August 2025. Our editor Becca Lower reported on an interview Trump did with Newsmax’s Rob Finnerty. Finnerty asked about a series of convicts and ne’er-do-wells, and whether Trump might consider pardoning them. Trump answered:

About Santos, Trump said, “He lied like hell,” adding that while he didn’t personally know the former congressman, and “might have met him,” “[h]e was 100 percent for Trump.” The president jabbed “the other side” and the media for not trying harder to ferret out Santos’ alleged misdeed before he was elected. He added that no one has asked him to pardon Santos.

Watch: Pres. Trump Puts to Bed the Swirling Media Speculation on Possible Pardons As Only He Can

Perhaps it was after this interview that the wheels started to turn. Whatever the reason, two months later, Santos has now received the good news about his fate.

Note that a commutation is not the same as a pardon. While a pardon completely absolves one’s criminal record and restores all constitutional rights to the one pardoned, a commutation reduces and in some cases absolves the time required to serve the sentence, but the subject still maintains a criminal record.

As this is a breaking story, RedState will provide updates as more information becomes available.

Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.

Help us continue to report the truth about the Schumer Shutdown. Use promo code POTUS47 to get 74% off your VIP membership.