Trump orders ex-congressman George Santos released from prison in fraud case

US President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of George Santos, a former Republican Congressman who is serving seven years for fraud and identify theft, and ordered his immediate release.

In a post on social media, Trump said Santos "has been horribly mistreated", adding: "Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY."

The former lawmaker was only the sixth in US history to be expelled from Congress, after an ethics report in 2023 found dozens of damning charges.

Santos, who admitted to stealing the identities of 11 people - including family members, is currently serving his sentence at a minimum-security jail in New Jersey.

In his post, Trump criticised a Democratic lawmaker, Senator Richard Blumenthal, who he accused of faking his military service.

"This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!" Trump wrote.

In April, Santos was sentenced to seven years after a judge told him: "You got elected with your words, most of which were lies."

He reportedly cried in court and begged for forgiveness, saying: "I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead."

Prosecutors argued that the novice politicians lied about his background and misused campaign funds to finance his lifestyle.

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