George Santos charged with defrauding campaign donors

[dann]

Trump gets George Santos out of prison (David Pakman on YouTube, Oct 18, 2025 - 5:50 min.)
Trump commutes sentence of former US Rep. George Santos in federal fraud case (AP News, Oct 18, 2025)

Why does it take him so long to come up with a good excuse for releasing Ghislaine Maxwell?

 

[Segnosaur]

Trump gets George Santos out of prison (David Pakman on YouTube, Oct 18, 2025 - 5:50 min.)
Trump commutes sentence of former US Rep. George Santos in federal fraud case (AP News, Oct 18, 2025)

Why does it take him so long to come up with a good excuse for releasing Ghislaine Maxwell?

Republicans... The party of law and order.

Admittedly I am not sure I understand Trump's mindset here. Santos cannot do anything "for" Trump at this point, he was never a particularly close ally of his, and while he may be a "good republican" he is an embarrassment.

 

[P.J. Denyer]

Republicans... The party of law and order.

Admittedly I am not sure I understand Trump's mindset here. Santos cannot do anything "for" Trump at this point, he was never a particularly close ally of his, and while he may be a "good republican" he is an embarrassment.

I figure he saw a picture of Santos in his drag gear and thought it was J.D. Vance.

 

[Ryan O'Dine]

Republicans... The party of law and order.

Admittedly I am not sure I understand Trump's mindset here. Santos cannot do anything "for" Trump at this point, he was never a particularly close ally of his, and while he may be a "good republican" he is an embarrassment.

Maybe for some odd reason Trump needs people to believe that egregious grifting isn't all that bad.

 

[marting]

So Trump bails him out after less than 3 months (out of a 7 year sentence) in prison. But hey, he always voted republican.

 

[P.J. Denyer]

I figure he saw a picture of Santos in his drag gear and thought it was J.D. Vance.

By the way this is, obviously, a joke.



Vance wears far more make up.

 

[Gulliver Foyle]

Trump gets George Santos out of prison (David Pakman on YouTube, Oct 18, 2025 - 5:50 min.)
Trump commutes sentence of former US Rep. George Santos in federal fraud case (AP News, Oct 18, 2025)

Why does it take him so long to come up with a good excuse for releasing Ghislaine Maxwell?

Fear. Commute or padon Maxwell and you no longer have leverage over her. She could spill everything if a good enough offer comes along, and given what she's done, spilling the beans would be her only realistic source of revenue.

 

[Darat]

So Trump bails him out after less than 3 months (out of a 7 year sentence) in prison. But hey, he always voted republican.

It was probably the easiest path for those around Trump. You have to imagine a group of people trying to explain to Trump why frauding someone means you go to jail, it's Father Ted trying to explain perspective to Dougal taken to the nth degree.

 

[Darat]

Fear. Commute or padon Maxwell and you no longer have leverage over her. She could spill everything if a good enough offer comes along, and given what she's done, spilling the beans would be her only realistic source of revenue.

I'm sure she'll have access to means squirreled away somewhere, I don't think she'll be having to do an 80 hour a week cleaning job to keep a roof over her head.

 

[P.J. Denyer]

I'm sure she'll have access to means squirreled away somewhere, I don't think she'll be having to do an 80 hour a week cleaning job to keep a roof over her head.

True, but her type always want more and any of the news outlets would pay a fortune for her 'Inside Story'.. It seems to me they have her where they want her, create waves and they'll send her back to a real prison, do what they say and say what they want and she gets low security and all the perks, and they can dangle the possibility of pardon.

 

[Venom]

Fear. Commute or padon Maxwell and you no longer have leverage over her. She could spill everything if a good enough offer comes along, and given what she's done, spilling the beans would be her only realistic source of revenue.

If Maxwell had what people assume she has don't you think she would have revealed it a long time ago? A rough pretrial detention, risking trial and spending years in jail in order to leverage info she supposedly has from an extremely compromised position, plus inviting enormous public scrutiny.

 

[dann]

Republicans... The party of law and order.
Admittedly I am not sure I understand Trump's mindset here. Santos cannot do anything "for" Trump at this point, he was never a particularly close ally of his, and while he may be a "good republican" he is an embarrassment.

Is George Santos really an embarrassment to the Republicans at this point in time? Do Republicans object to his release? Has it caused an uproar in the MAGA movement that Trump has commuted the sentence of a criminal LGBTQ+ Republican? It doesn't seem so, does it?

True, but her type always want more and any of the news outlets would pay a fortune for her 'Inside Story'.. It seems to me they have her where they want her, create waves and they'll send her back to a real prison, do what they say and say what they want and she gets low security and all the perks, and they can dangle the possibility of pardon.

So why did it work for George Santos but not for Ghislaine Maxwell? Didn't they have Santos where they wanted him? Couldn't they have transferred him to a luxurious version of a prison and threatened to send him back to a worse one if he stepped out of line?

Could this be the reason why Santos has been released?

Trump gets George Santos out of prison (David Pakman on YouTube, October 18, 2025 - 5:50 min.)
3:25--> This is spec, we're speculating now. Okay, George Santos, for a long time, has been claiming that he has dirt about the Republican party. He had, he, uh, sort of suggested that he was going to burn it all down when he was on his way to prison, saying, "I know about the Republicans involved in orgies. I know about the anti-gay Republicans who are actually gay themselves. I'm going to burn it down and take everybody with me."
We always have to be open to the possibility with Donald Trump that people came to Trump and said, "Listen, we are really worried that Santos is going to spill the beans in a way that will be destructive for the Republican party. What about commuting his sentence, which then will give you leverage, sir, Mr. President, to make sure that he shuts up?" It is completely and totally speculative, but it is exactly the sort of thing that Donald Trump would do. And in fact, it kind of aligns with our speculation with regard to what's going on with the Epstein files.

And if it is, why doesn't it work for Maxwell?

 

[dann]

If Maxwell had what people assume she has don't you think she would have revealed it a long time ago? A rough pretrial detention, risking trial and spending years in jail in order to leverage info she supposedly has from an extremely compromised position, plus inviting enormous public scrutiny.

What would be in it for her if she had already revealed what she knows? It is not as if she wouldn't have been sentenced if she had told on Trump and/or other Epstein clients, is it? Would it make her any less culpable?
Now that she has been sentenced and is serving time, however, and with Trump in the White House, it gives her leverage. He couldn't have done anything for her in 2022. Now, he can.

 

[Venom]

What would be in it for her if she had already revealed what she knows? It is not as if she wouldn't have been sentenced if she had told on Trump and/or other Epstein clients, is it? Would it make her any less culpable?
Now that she has been sentenced and is serving time, however, and with Trump in the White House, it gives her leverage. He couldn't have done anything for her in 2022. Now, he can.

If prosecutors actually believed the conspiracy theories absolutely I could see her getting a break for spilling all the secrets on "Epstein clients". But that's not the conspiracy she was alleged to be a part of. Evidently they were able to convince a jury she was involved to some degree with Epstein.

If Trump does grant her clemency I think he'll do it towards the end of his term. Right now it might be too politically risky even if it's the right move.

 

[Gulliver Foyle]

If Maxwell had what people assume she has don't you think she would have revealed it a long time ago? A rough pretrial detention, risking trial and spending years in jail in order to leverage info she supposedly has from an extremely compromised position, plus inviting enormous public scrutiny.

Not necessarily, because of a combination of thinking she'll get away with her crimes (she's her father's daughter, after all), fear of no longer having leverage (while the secrets aren't public she still has some leverage) and waiting for the right offer to come along.

 

[Gulliver Foyle]

Is George Santos really an embarrassment to the Republicans at this point in time? Do Republicans object to his release? Has it caused an uproar in the MAGA movement that Trump has commuted the sentence of a criminal LGBTQ+ Republican? It doesn't seem so, does it?

So why did it work for George Santos but not for Ghislaine Maxwell? Didn't they have Santos where they wanted him? Couldn't they have transferred him to a luxurious version of a prison and threatened to send him back to a worse one if he stepped out of line?

Could this be the reason why Santos has been released?

And if it is, why doesn't it work for Maxwell?

Santos has nothing that would compromise any of the main players in the party. Commuting his sentence is simply a power play for TACO "it's good to be da king!"

 

[sackett]

Santos has nothing that would compromise any of the main players in the party. Commuting his sentence is simply a power play for TACO "it's good to be da king!"

Don't forget professional courtesy.

That doesn't ring quite right in Donnie Dumfugg's case.

 

[Stacyhs]

I doubt Trump thinks that what Santos did was wrong. He probably admires him for it like he admires Putin, Kim Jong Un, etc.

 

[Norman Alexander]

Santos has nothing that would compromise any of the main players in the party. Commuting his sentence is simply a power play for TACO "it's good to be da king!"

Or maybe he does! With 4K video! And despite all his other shortcomings, Santos has a few operating brain cells and might be able to form a plot.

"Hey Donny! Something is going to be released here. Either me, or the filthy pictures. Choose wisely!"

 

[Trebuchet]

Always remember, Trump is a career criminal. He's been a grifter and cheater for his entire life. His mentor was mob lawyer Roy Cohn, who likely despaired at how dumb he was.
He understands Santos as a kindred spirit, more than pretty much any other human being.