President Donald Trump said Friday that he has signed a commutation that would immediately release former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from prison.
“George was in solitary confinement for extended periods of time and, by all accounts, was horribly mistreated,” Trump said on Truth Social Friday evening. “Therefore, I have just signed a commutation, releasing George Santos from prison IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a good life!”
In April, Santos was sentenced to more than seven years in prison.
Last year, he pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, conduct that prosecutors say was part of a years-long scheme that preyed on the campaign finance system and his own political party, donors and family members to line his own pockets.
Santos’ lawyer told NBC News that he “appreciated” Trump’s “compassion in seeing the suffering Mr. Santos endured during the prosecution” and commuting his “draconian sentence.”
“His husband is picking him up right now, and he is thrilled and grateful to Mr. Trump for the compassion he has shown in releasing George and commuting his sentence,” Santos’ lawyer added.
A senior White House official said Trump made the decision to help Santos this week. The official added that “many people have written to him about this.”
“President Trump’s efforts on this have been significant,” another White House official said. “He heard from so many people, and in the last few days he decided it was the right decision. It was his decision, and he did it.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., publicly campaigned for a pardon of Santos. In an interview with NBC News this week, she said she had been in contact with the Justice Department in recent weeks regarding the possibility.
Greene declined to say whether she had spoken directly to Trump about the matter.
Greene argued that Santos’ punishment was too harsh.
“George Santos has never raped anyone, never murdered anyone, is not a child sex trafficker. Why is he in solitary confinement?” she said, adding: “This is extreme treatment for someone for the crimes he was convicted of.”
Greene began asking for forgiveness after learning Santos had spent more than a month in solitary confinement.
Ed Martin, the U.S. pardon attorney, said Santos had no “greater friend” than Greene.
Santos reported to prison in July at a federal facility in Fairton, New Jersey.
Santos unexpectedly won a congressional seat in 2022, beginning a short and dramatic congressional career. He quickly faced scandal when the New York Times and other media outlets reported that parts of his resume were fabricated.
In May 2023, he was indicted on federal charges including money laundering and wire fraud. He was hit with a 23-count indictment in October of that year. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and refused to resign from Congress.
A scathing House Ethics Committee report released in November 2023 found there was “substantial evidence” that he “violated federal criminal laws,” including using campaign funds for personal use and filing false campaign reports. The report sparked a growing backlash within the Republican caucus.
Santos was expelled from the House in December 2023, after less than a year in office. He tried to launch an independent campaign to win back his seat last year, but dropped his candidacy a few weeks later.
Trump used his pardon power aggressively during his second term. On his first day in office, he pardoned approximately 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He also granted pardons to a number of politicians, including former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, former Democratic Cincinnati City Council member PG Sittenfeld, former New York Republican Rep. Michael Grimm, and former Republican Connecticut Gov. John Rowland.
In his message announcing Santos’ commutation, Trump downplayed Santos’ fabrications, saying that while Santos was a “thug,” he was not as bad as Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut. In 2010, Blumenthal – who was then a Senate candidate – apologized for repeatedly “misspoke” when he said he served “in Vietnam” instead of “during Vietnam.” Blumenthal served in the Marine Reserve during the war but was not deployed there.
“This rant is manufactured nonsense,” Blumenthal told NBC News Friday evening. “There is no excuse to commute George Santos’ sentence.”
At least two Republican congressmen who voted to expel Santos from the House also released statements late Friday criticizing Trump’s decision.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., who serves on the House Ethics Committee, said Santos serving only a few months of his seven-year sentence is “not justice.”
And Rep. Nick LaLota, who represents a swing district in New York, said Santos’ crimes warranted more than three months in prison.
“George Santos didn’t just lie: He stole millions, defrauded an election, and his crimes (to which he pleaded guilty) warrant a sentence of more than three months,” LaLota said. “He should dedicate the rest of his life to showing remorse and making amends to those he has wronged.” »
