Trump commutes former NY Rep. Santos' prison sentence

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(The Center Square) — President Donald Trump wielded his executive powers Friday to commute the prison sentence of former New York congressman George Santos, ordering his immediate release from a federal facility.

“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated,” Trump posted on Truth Social Friday night. “Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!”

Santos reported to prison in July at a federal penitentiary in Fairton, New Jersey, shortly after he pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft during his 2022 campaign. He has served less than three months of a seven-year term, which he agreed to an exchange for avoiding a trial. 

The president cited the former New York lawmaker’s political support in the announcement, saying Santos has "the Courage, Conviction and Intelligence to "ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN."

“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 in the post. 

Santos had openly sought clemency from Trump since the president’s return to the White House in January. He's been helped by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who sent a letter to the Department of Justice to formally request Santos’ sentence be commuted.

But the president's move drew criticism from several New York Republicans who voted to expel Santos from Congress. They said the disgraced former lawmaker deserved more time in jail. 

“George Santos didn’t merely lie — he stole millions, defrauded an election, and his crimes (for which he pled guilty) warrant more than a three-month sentence," U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota, R-Rocky Point, said in a statement. “He should devote the rest of his life to demonstrating remorse and making restitution to those he wronged.”

Rep. Andrew Garbarino, a member of the House Ethics subcommittee that investigated Santos, also blasted the commutation, saying the short period of time Santos has spent in prison "is not justice.”

“The victims of his crimes still have not been made whole, including the people he stole from and the voters he defrauded," Garbarino said in a statement. "He has shown no remorse."

Federal prosecutors in New York say that Santos and his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, submitted false financial reports to the Federal Election Commission, inflating his fundraising numbers. They also allege he fraudulently collected over $24,000 in unemployment insurance benefits. Marks has pleaded guilty to the charges.

A previous indictment filed in May against Santos charged him with embezzling money from his campaign and lying to Congress about his income, among other allegations. He had previously pleaded not guilty to those charges and has confessed his innocence for months. He was scheduled to go to trial in September.

Following Santos' indictment in October, Congress formally expelled Santos in a bipartisan vote after a damaging report from a House ethics subcommittee found “substantial evidence” of misconduct and illegal activity.

Santos, who has admitted to faking his resume and lying about his educational background, was also hit with a Federal Elections Commission complaint alleging his campaign engaged in a "straw donor scheme" to conceal the sources of a $705,000 personal loan to his campaign.

His expulsion prompted a special election that led to Republicans losing New York's 3rd Congressional District seat to Democrat Tom Suozzi, a former congressman.