In the latest episode of Matt Gaetz’s podcast, The Anchorman Show, Steve Bannon, ex-con and former Donald Trump advisor — those two seem to go hand-in-hand — didn’t hold back discussing the ongoing circus surrounding disgraced Congressman George Santos.
Bannon, who knows a thing or two about the inside of a courtroom, gave a withering assessment of Santos’ recent meltdown on Piers Morgan’s show, where the embattled New York representative broke down in tears, lamenting his likely prison time.
“You do the crime, you do the time”
“Stop whining,” Bannon said bluntly, barely masking his disdain. “You do the crime, you do the time. It’s really that simple.” Bannon’s critique came after Santos, visibly shaken, got teary-eyed in his sit-down with Morgan, talking about the emotional toll of facing up to 20 years in prison for a laundry list of financial crimes. “I’m human,” Santos choked out, trying to elicit some sympathy from an audience that’s long since run out of patience for his lies.
Bannon should know what it’s like behind bars. After all, this is the same Steve Bannon who faced 2020 fraud charges related to the “We Build the Wall” fundraising scheme. “Look, I’ve been in the trenches,” Bannon told Gaetz. “I’ve faced these liberal witch hunts. Did I cry about it on Piers Morgan’s couch? No.”
But Bannon’s dance with the justice system hasn’t always been a graceful waltz. Bannon was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering for allegedly pocketing donations meant to fund a border wall, but then got a last-minute pardon from Trump.
Still, Bannon faced charges for contempt of Congress after refusing to cooperate with the January 6th investigation, resulting in a four-month prison sentence and a $6,500 fine. So, if anyone’s got a warped right to comment on how to handle the pressure of a looming jail cell, it’s Bannon.
“You played it dirty. Now, pay the price”
As for Santos, his rap sheet reads like a checklist of political career-killers. Federal prosecutors charged him with 13 criminal counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements to Congress. Santos allegedly misused campaign funds for personal expenses like designer clothes, luxury vacations, and even Botox. Add to that a separate investigation into his questionable financial disclosures and possible Social Security fraud, and you have a man whose political future is, to put it lightly, on fire.
But it was Santos’ tearful moment on Morgan’s show that really set Bannon off. “Are you kidding me? You’re a U.S. Congressman. You think anyone’s going to pity you? You lied your way into power and now you’re crying because it’s catching up to you? Give me a break,” Bannon scoffed, throwing his hands up in visible exasperation. “You got in the game. You played it dirty. Now, pay the price.”Bannon added, “You’ve got to own it. When you’re in the arena, you don’t get to whine about the blows.”
For Santos, the man with a resume full of fabrications and a rap sheet that’s growing by the day, that might be the harshest truth of all. Because if even Steve Bannon thinks you’ve crossed a line, well, you’re in deeper trouble than even a Piers Morgan therapy session can fix. So, George, take a deep breath, ditch the waterworks, and lawyer up. As Bannon might say, the only way out is through, without the tears.
Published: May 16, 2025 02:28 pm