When former Congressman George Santos first came onto the scene, the Republican Party embraced him because he checked a few key boxes.
The GOP never vetted him, but it was a chance to have a gay minority join the party in the blue state of New York, so many fell in line and supported his candidacy.
Well, that was a mistake, because he is a fraudster, he got caught, and was eventually sentenced to 87 months in prison, a term of incarceration that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is now trying to get Trump to commute.
My regular readers know how I feel about corrupt politicians, and Santos is nothing more than a conman, in my opinion.
He deceived voters during his campaign, and I believe that he should have been immediately expelled from office, but the GOP waited until his criminal trial was over.
After he was found guilty and sentenced, U.S. Attorney John Durham stated, “Today, George Santos was finally held accountable for the mountain of lies, theft, and fraud he perpetrated. For the defendant, it was judgment day, and for his many victims including campaign donors, political parties, government agencies, elected bodies, his own family members, and his constituents, it is justice."
He continued, “To Mr. Santos and other dishonest individuals of that ilk, who lie, steal identities and commit frauds to get elected to public office, this prosecution speaks to the truth that my Office is committed to aggressively rooting out public corruption and that public officials who criminally abuse our electoral process will end up in a federal prison.”
I truly think that Santos believed he was going to get away with all of this because he was a big name in the political world, and our courts have been notoriously friendly to public servants, even when they commit fraud and deceive their constituents.
Not this time, and reality hit hard for Santos just before he was reporting to serve his sentence.
He posted, "Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed.”
His X post continued, "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. To my supporters: You made this wild political cabaret worth it. To my critics: Thanks for the free press."
Greene, who embraced Santos during his time in Congress and was among a handful of House Republicans who defended him to the end, is now asking Trump to commute the former lawmaker's sentence.
She stated, “I just sent a letter to the Office of the Pardon Attorney urging President Trump to commute the sentence of former Congressman @MrSantosNY.”
Her post continued, “A 7-year prison sentence for campaign-related charges is excessive, especially when Members of Congress who’ve done far worse still walk free. George Santos has taken responsibility. He’s shown remorse. It’s time to correct this injustice. We must demand equal justice under the law!”
What happened in other cases is irrelevant, and this was about far more than some simple campaign violations. This man defrauded people and lied to get into office, and an example must be made of him. I have stood up against several pardons and commutations given by Trump, and I can tell you right now that if Trump pardons or commutes Santos’ sentence, I will not support it, as I believe it will just continue the narrative that as long as you know someone, you can get away with just about anything in politics. Santos needs to be the example… You lie to the American people, and if you abuse your position of influence, you pay the price, period. Let him stay in jail and rot.
