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President Trump commutes the prison sentence of George Santos
George Santos leaves the U.S. Capitol after his fellow members of Congress voted to expel him from the House of Representatives on Dec. 1, 2023. The New York Republican was later sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to range of federal charges, but President Trump has now commuted his sentence.
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President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he commuted the prison term of George Santos, the disgraced New York Republican who was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for a litany of crimes after he was expelled from the House over accusations that he stole money from campaign donors.
Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social on Friday, saying he had signed a commutation to release Santos from prison immediately. Joseph Murray, one of Santos' lawyers, told The Associated Press that the former lawmaker was released from the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, N.J., around 11 p.m. Friday, and was greeted by his family.
"George Santos was somewhat of a 'rogue,' but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren't forced to serve seven years in prison," Trump wrote.
Santos, a fierce supporter of Trump, pleaded guilty in 2024 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors said Santos was responsible for a "mountain of lies, theft, and fraud" aimed at enriching himself and deceiving campaign donors. He began his sentence in July of this year.
Soon after Santos was elected in 2020, reports that he had fabricated numerous aspects of his identity began to trickle out. He later admitted to lying about his education, employment and his upbringing. Santos was still sworn into Congress in 2022 despite the inconsistencies raised about his background and campaign finances.
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His falsehoods would catch up with him less than a year after his term began. In 2023, the House voted 311-114 to remove him from office. Almost every Democrat and more than 100 Republicans voted to expel Santos.
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The vote made Santos just the sixth representative to ever be expelled from the chamber but the first to be expelled without being convicted of a crime. At the time of his expulsion, Santos was facing 23 criminal charges.
Trump compared Santos' crimes to claims made by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., more than 15 years ago about his military service. Blumenthal has previously admitted that he "misspoke" about serving in Vietnam. Blumenthal served six years in the Marine Reserve beginning in 1970, but none of that time was spent overseas.
"This is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!" Trump wrote.
So far during his second term, Trump has issued a slew of high-profile pardons and commutations. He issued a blanket pardon of more than 1,500 people charged with acts related to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich also received a pardon after he was convicted on a series of corruption-related crimes, including trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat vacated by former President Barack Obama. Trump commuted Blagojevich's 14-year prison sentence during his first term.
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