U.S. President Donald Trump has granted a commutation for former U.S. representative George Santos, reducing his sentence of over seven years for fraud and identity theft, leading to his immediate release. Santos, who was ousted from Congress following a scandal-ridden term, admitted to inflating fundraising numbers and fabricating donor identities to secure financial backing from the Republican Party during the 2022 election season. He won a seat representing a segment of New York City and its surrounding areas as a Republican that year.
Throughout his campaign, Santos falsely claimed to have attended New York University, worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and asserted that his grandparents had escaped the Nazis during World War II. He was handed an 87-month federal prison term in April of this year and commenced serving it in July.
In a recent statement, Trump expressed that Santos had been unfairly treated while incarcerated. Trump mentioned on Truth Social, “George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our country who aren’t obligated to spend seven years behind bars. Hence, I have just signed a commutation, freeing George Santos from prison IMMEDIATELY.”
Santos faced significant challenges during his 11-month tenure in Congress, being shunned by colleagues and ridiculed by comedians after it was revealed that he had falsified various aspects of his personal background. Earlier this week, he penned a heartfelt plea to President Trump, lauding him and seeking the chance to reunite with his family, friends, and community.
The U.S. Constitution grants the president broad authority to issue pardons to nullify federal criminal convictions or commutations to adjust sentences. During his current term, Trump has extensively exercised his clemency powers, including pardoning about 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, which aimed to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election win over Trump.
Additionally, Trump has extended clemency to various political figures, such as former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and former Cincinnati city council member P.G. Sittenfeld from the Democratic party, along with former Republican congressman Michael Grimm of New York and former Connecticut governor John Rowland.