George Santos was sentenced to seven years in prison for his deceptions, which is a very good thing. The rule of law has been upheld and all of the evidence which convicted Santos acts as a cautionary tale to future frauds to not follow in Santos’ footsteps. So this is a good resolution to one of the wildest political sagas in the history of this, or any, republic. But will Donald Trump decide that it would be a more interesting theatrical ending to undo it? For Santos’ part, he says he won’t appeal to Trump for a pardon, a statement I don’t believed any more than I believe anything else that has come out of Santos’ mouth over the years. Axios:
Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was sentenced Friday to 87 months in prison — more than 7 years — after pleading guilty to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Why it matters: It’s the climax of a years-long saga in which Santos dominated national headlines and was ultimately expelled from Congress for his serial dishonesty.
- The 87-month sentence was the maximum possible, and what prosecutors in the case were seeking. Santos’ attorneys requested a two-year sentence.
- The former congressman, a staunch defender of President Trump, has insisted he will not ask the president to pardon him as Trump has done with other political allies.
- Santos did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Axios on whether he is interested in receiving clemency.
What they’re saying:Â “I think it’s appropriate. I think the judge did a terrific job,” said Roberta Reardon, the commissioner of the New York State Department of Labor, who delivered a victim impact statement about Santos’ unemployment insurance fraud.
- Jody Kass Finkel, the head of Concerned Citizens of NY-03, said her reaction to the sentence was: “Cry me a river.”
- In addition to the 87 months in prison, Santos will also face two years of supervised release.
Zoom out:Â Santos pleaded guilty last year to falsifying campaign finance records in order to obtain support from the National Republican Congressional Committee for his successful 2022 House campaign.
The message here is clear: do what you can now if you’re a crook to get sentenced because Trump has a Get Out Of Jail Free card for anybody that he wants to give it to. The rule of law is under siege.
For Trump’s part, he has a choice to let this situation be and let some semblance of respect for the rule of law remain while he’s in office. That would be the prudent path to take. But can Trump be depended upon to be prudent? Who knows? It depends on what side of the bed he got out of, whether the Diet Coke was a bit too warm or a bit too cold, how hard his hairdresser had to battle with his tresses this morning, all kinds of things that influence Trump’s “thinking.”
We can only hope for the best, as is our collective prison sentence for the next three and three quarter years.
Wouldn’t be surprised. He may do it just to piss off the Democrats…then support him to run again. Never underestimate evil.
🤣 If Santos was really pretending to be Klaatu, Gort would have already gotten rid of him with that very useful destruction ray he has! 🛸
I would be genuinely shocked in Drumpf does pardon Santos since Drumpf gets absolutely NOTHING of benefit in return. Nearly half the GOPers in Congress voted to expel him over his illegal activities and, of course, the National Republican Congressional Committee (which provided some financial backing based on fraudulent records) might send someone to “chat” with Agent Orange about the problem with a pardon. (I also can’t see Santos ever trying to run again–no matter his “devotion” to Drumpf, there will always be other GOP candidates who can argue they’re MORE devoted to Drumpf while reminding everyone of Santos’s criminal history. A pardon does NOT wipe everyone’s memories–just look at the history of ANYONE who’s received a presidential pardon or a gubernatorial act of clemency; their crime remains on the books with an asterisk, either literal or metaphorical, of “pardoned/received a pardon” beside it.)
Of course, no one is obliged to accept a pardon so if Santos really isn’t interested in seeking a pardon, he can always refuse any pardon that might be sent his way.