George Santos, who was expelled from the U.S. Home of Representatives, arrives for the sentencing in his prison corruption fees at Central Islip Federal Courthouse in Central Islip, New York, U.S., April 25, 2025.
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Friday night stated he has commuted the jail sentence of George Santos, releasing the disgraced former Republican congressman instantly.
Santos “was considerably of a ‘rogue,’ however there are numerous rogues all through our Nation that are not pressured to serve seven years in jail,” Trump wrote in a Fact Social publish.
Santos was sentenced to 87 months in federal jail this yr after pleading responsible to committing wire fraud and aggravated identification theft. He started serving his sentence in late July.
The 37-year-old New York consultant served within the Home for lower than a yr earlier than he was expelled from Congress below a cloud of scandal in December 2023.
Even earlier than he was sworn in, Santos admitted mendacity about key particulars of his life on the marketing campaign path. Whereas in Congress, he was charged by the Division of Justice with an array of federal crimes together with fraud, theft, cash laundering and making false statements.
Trump’s resolution to commute Santos’ sentence got here after a number of pals and allies of the imprisoned ex-politician made appeals for his clemency, a senior White Home official instructed NBC Information on Friday night.
Trump had additionally lately learn Santos’ writings from jail describing his residing situations, the official instructed NBC.
In a flattery-filled letter revealed Monday in native Lengthy Island information outlet The South Shore Press, Santos immediately requested Trump for clemency.
“You’ve gotten at all times been a person of second probabilities, a frontrunner who believes in redemption and renewal,” Santos wrote. “I’m asking you now, from the depths of my coronary heart, to increase that very same perception to me.”
In his social media publish Friday, Trump stated he started desirous about Santos after being reminded of Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who weathered heavy criticism throughout his 2010 Senate marketing campaign for saying he had “served in Vietnam” when he had by no means been deployed there.
Trump had stated earlier in October that Blumenthal “must be investigated, and Justice must be sought.” The assault got here hours after Lawyer Normal Pam Bondi, in a combative and politically charged Senate listening to, immediately accused Blumenthal of mendacity about his army document.
Blumenthal stated in 2010 that he had misspoken about his service on a number of events. On CNN final week, the senator stated Trump’s accusations are “utterly misleading and distorted.”
Trump didn’t serve within the army.
Trump wrote Friday that Blumenthal’s document “is way worse than what George Santos did, and not less than Santos had the Braveness, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!”
“George has been in solitary confinement for lengthy stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated,” Trump wrote.
“Due to this fact, I simply signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from jail, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have an important life!”
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