President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who was serving time for fraud and identity theft, leading to his immediate release after just 84 days in prison. Trump justified the clemency by comparing Santos' actions to those of a Democratic senator and emphasizing Santos' Republican loyalty.
Former President Donald Trump announced he commuted the sentence of ex-U.S. Rep. George Santos, who was serving over seven years for fraud and identity theft. Santos was released from federal prison in Fairton, New Jersey, after approximately 84 days. Sentenced in April after admitting to deceiving donors and stealing identities for his campaign, Santos had been housed in a minimum-security prison camp. Trump publicly stated that Santos, while a 'rogue,' didn't deserve a seven-year sentence, comparing his fabrications to those of Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal and highlighting Santos' consistent Republican voting record. Santos himself had directly appealed to Trump from prison, citing his loyalty and the hardship of incarceration. This act of clemency is the latest in a series by Trump for former Republican politicians. Santos, who became the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress in 2022, was expelled less than a year later after widespread revelations that he had fabricated much of his life story, including his education, work history, and heritage. Despite his expulsion and guilty plea, some prominent Republicans, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, advocated for his release, while others, like Rep. Nick LaLota, criticized the short sentence for the severity of his crimes. The commutation appears to clear not only his prison term but also agreed-upon fines, restitution, and probation.
