In a significant and unexpected turn of events, U.S. President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of former Republican Congressman George Santos. Santos, who was serving a seven-year term for fraud and identity theft, has been ordered for immediate release. Trump announced the commutation on social media, stating that Santos had been “horribly mistreated” and wished him a “great life.”
Santos, who made history as only the sixth U.S. Congressman to be expelled from the House of Representatives following a damning ethics report in 2023, had been incarcerated in a minimum-security facility in New Jersey. His release reportedly occurred on Friday evening.
Following Trump’s announcement, one of Santos’s lawyers, Joseph Murray, expressed gratitude, stating, “God bless President Donald J Trump.” Earlier this year, during Santos’s sentencing, the presiding judge remarked that he was elected on a platform of lies. Santos himself reportedly expressed remorse in court, pleading for forgiveness and stating his desire to control his future path.
Prosecutors had presented evidence detailing how Santos allegedly misused campaign funds to support his personal lifestyle and fabricated significant aspects of his background. Trump’s decision to commute Santos’s sentence was partly justified by his criticism of Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, whom Trump accused of misrepresenting his military service. Trump contrasted this with Santos, whom he noted had consistently voted Republican.
Santos’s political career unraveled in 2022 after investigations revealed numerous falsehoods in his résumé, including claims about his education and employment at major financial institutions. Further allegations surfaced regarding misused funds from a charity for a sick animal and false statements about his mother’s involvement in the 9/11 attacks. These revelations led to federal felony charges and his eventual expulsion from Congress.
The former Congressman had previously penned an open letter to Trump, appealing for a pardon and the chance to reunite with his family and community. In the letter, he admitted to making mistakes and taking responsibility for his actions, while also mentioning enduring solitary confinement due to a death threat. He argued that his punishment exceeded what justice required.
This commutation follows Trump’s pattern of issuing pardons to former Republican lawmakers, including Michael Grimm and former Connecticut Governor John Rowland, who had also faced legal issues. It’s important to note that while commutations alter sentences, they do not erase criminal convictions.
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