George Santos' career trajectory: from the House of Representatives to the big house. The disgraced ex-GOP lawmaker expelled from Congress in 2023 after being slammed with federal charges, including money laundering, wire fraud, and identity theft, is heading to prison Friday to start his seven-year-plus sentence on those charges, to which he pleaded guilty, per NBC News. The outlet notes it's been quite the farewell tour from Santos in recent days, with appearances on podcasts and social media, final videos posted to Cameo for at least $300 a pop, and a series of tweets bidding adieu.
"Well, darlings ... The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed," Santos wrote in a dramatic Thursday post on X. "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." NBC notes the Trump ally was asked in an X Spaces chat if he thought the president would pardon him.
"I don't think he can," Santos told Politico of a potential pardon. "He's in a position where he needs to put the country ahead of one man, and that's just a fact. He would lose support in the House from Republicans who have already capitulated." Santos—who also fudged much of his CV before being elected into office in 2022 and had one of the shortest political careers in modern times—appears to be sticking with the MAGA platform, though, no matter what Trump ends up doing.
story continues below
"I will not waver in my support for [Trump]," he told Politico. Santos did show some remorse before heading to the penitentiary, however. "I think we can all attest that I've made a string of s--- choices in my life, and for that, I'm sorry to those I've disappointed, to those I've let down, to those that I have caused irreparable damage," he said on Spaces. Santos also tells Politico that he won't be able to tweet from prison, or even do interviews, noting, "They're shutting me up, essentially." In his X post, he concluded: "I may be leaving the stage (for now), but trust me legends never truly exit." Santos signed his message, "Forever fabulously yours, George."