‘Beyond Belief’: Trump Slammed as a ‘Madman’ After Freeing Convicted Fraudster George Santos, Citing Loyalty

In a move that stunned even seasoned political watchers, Donald Trump on Friday commuted the sentence of disgraced former Congressman George Santos — a man who admitted in court to wire fraud, money laundering, identity theft, and theft of public funds.

Santos, whose schemes included stealing campaign donors’ credit card information and lying in official financial disclosures, had pleaded guilty and was serving time. But in an eyebrow-raising announcement, Trump abruptly cut that sentence short, offering up a rambling justification that left many observers wondering if he understood what Santos had actually been convicted of.

In typical Trump fashion, the reasoning was less about justice and more about loyalty. The president bizarrely compared Santos to Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who faced criticism over misstatements about his military service years ago, and praised Santos for his party loyalty, writing that he had shown “the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!” Trump capped the statement off with a flourish: Santos should now “have a great life.”

The backlash was immediate and vicious.

“Trump commutes sentence of George Santos. He’s immediately released from prison. What a madman,” wrote former U.S. Attorney and legal commentator Harry Litman. “How much stronger an indication do we need that Trump is indifferent to criminal conduct and attuned solely to loyalty to himself. George Friggin’ Santos! just beyond belief…”

Bradley Moss, a national security attorney, didn’t mince words either: “Trump explicitly states he set Santos free because he votes Republican.”

“Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!’ Toe the party line and you, too, can avoid prison,” wrote First Amendment lawyer Adam Steinbaugh, mocking Trump’s language.

Even within the GOP, Santos had been toxic. He was expelled from Congress in a rare and overwhelming bipartisan vote — something that happens once in a generation, if that. The evidence against him wasn’t circumstantial or political; it was as open-and-shut as it gets. Still, that wasn’t enough to stop Trump from rewarding him.

“George Santos pleaded guilty to identity theft and wire fraud, a small part of his lying and stealing that really hurt people,” said Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA). “Trump says it plainly: crimes don’t count if you ‘vote Republican.’ Just like his pardons of those who violently attacked police. Naked corruption.”

“Trump, the pro-crime president, just commuted the sentence of George Santos,” wrote Democratic influencer Harry Sisson. “It is pathetic how openly corrupt this administration is. If you commit a bunch of fraud, they’ll bail you out. Insanity.”

Political strategist Mike Nellis took it further n: “Trump commuting George Santos’s sentence confirms my deep belief that he’s gonna pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, Diddy, and anybody else willing to be a useful idiot for his corruption and fascism.”

Adam Parkhomenko laid out the wider pattern: “Trump has pardoned pedophiles, cop-beaters, woman-beaters and George Santos,” he wrote. “That doesn’t include the pardons he sold. But tell me more about how we need the military to stop crime.”

From across the political spectrum, the reaction was one of disbelief — and fear that this kind of move could normalize outright disregard for law and justice, provided the offender is politically useful.

“Yet another politically-connected criminal loser gets to walk free after hundreds of hours spent by law enforcement to investigate and successfully prosecute,” said former Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer.

Even conservative voices were disturbed. Jeff Blehar, a right-leaning commentator, wrote: “Charge Bolton with federal crimes, commute George Santos’s prison sentence. All in a week’s work for Trump. I hope we regard this era as a terrible anomaly in our legal framework, but I fear it will instead be seen as the moment when things changed permanently for the worse.”

The George Santos saga was already a stain on the political system. His rise was built on deception, and his fall was the rare moment of bipartisan unity. Now, thanks to Trump, he’s walking free — and it’s not because he’s innocent. It’s because he was loyal.