Former Rep. George Santos, whose political career was defined by numerous fabrications, made a final, unsubstantiated claim on social media before preparing to serve a seven-year prison sentence. Santos was convicted in April on charges of federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
On Wednesday, he posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, issuing a preemptive warning about his safety in federal custody. “I’m not suicidal. I’m not depressed. I have no intentions of harming myself,” he wrote, adding, “If anything comes out suggesting otherwise, consider it a lie…full stop.” Citing “horrifying” statistics about the treatment of gay men within the Bureau of Prisons, he concluded, “I did NOT kill myself.”
In a subsequent reply to a supporter who questioned why he hadn’t been pardoned, Santos alleged, without evidence, that “Speaker Johnson Blocked it.” He was referring to House Speaker Mike Johnson and a potential pardon from President Donald Trump.
The claim was immediately met with widespread skepticism, as the Speaker of the House has no constitutional authority to block a presidential pardon. Observers also noted that the allegation seems inconsistent with Johnson’s public record of consistently deferring to Trump and avoiding any criticism of the former president’s conduct.
A request for comment sent to Speaker Johnson’s office was not immediately returned.
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