Former Republican congressman George Santos, sent behind bars for fraud, is released from prison thanks to Donald Trump. “Have a wonderful life!”
George Santos, Photo: J. Scott Applewhite / AP / Profimedia
US President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of George Santos, a former Republican congressman serving a seven-year prison sentence for fraud and identity theft, ordering his immediate release after three months in prison, Reuters reports.
Santos, a former member of the US House of Representatives who was expelled from Congress after a short and scandal-ridden term, pleaded guilty to inflating fundraising numbers and falsifying donor names to gain financial support from the Republican Party during the 2022 election cycle. That year, he was elected to represent part of New York and its eastern suburbs as a Republican.
During his campaign, Santos falsely claimed that he studied at New York University, that he worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and that his grandparents fled the Nazis during World War II.
He was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison in April of this year and began serving his sentence in July. On Friday, Trump said Santos had been “horribly mistreated” in prison.
“He's a bit of a 'scam', but there are many scammers all over the country”
“George Santos was somewhat of a 'crook,' but there are many crooks across our country who are not required to serve seven years in prison,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Therefore, I just signed a sentence commutation, releasing George Santos from prison IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!” the White House leader added.
Santos has spent much of his 11-month term in Congress at the center of scandals, ostracized by his fellow lawmakers and mocked by late-night comedians after it was discovered he had made up many elements of his personal life.
Earlier this week, he released what he called “an impassioned plea to President Trump,” praising him and asking for “an opportunity to return to my family, my friends, and my community.”
He admitted he had made mistakes and said he had suffered the consequences and took full responsibility.
The US Constitution gives the president broad powers to grant pardons to erase federal criminal convictions or commutations to modify sentences.
During his second term, Trump made extensive use of his clemency powers. On his first day back in office, he pardoned about 1,500 people accused in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, which was a failed attempt to prevent Congress from certifying former President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory over Trump.
Trump also granted clemency to several political figures, including former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and former Cincinnati City Councilman PG Sittenfeld, both Democrats, as well as former Republican Rep. Michael Grimm of New York and former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland.
