Trump commutes former Rep. George Santos' prison sentence

President Donald Trump announced Friday he signed a commutation ordering the immediate release of former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from federal prison. "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 evening.

"Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!" Santos was sentenced to more than seven years in prison in April.

Last year, Santos pleaded guilty to charges of committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors said the conduct was part of a yearslong scheme that preyed upon the campaign finance system and his own political party, donors, and family members to line his own pockets.


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A senior White House official said Trump made the decision to help Santos this week. The official added that "many people wrote to him about it."

"The reach-outs on this that President Trump got were overwhelming," another White House official said. "He heard from so many people, and in recent days he decided it was the right decision. It's his call, and he made it."

Rep. Greene campaigned for Santos pardon

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has publicly campaigned for a Santos pardon. In an interview with NBC News this week, she said she had been in contact with the Department of Justice in recent weeks regarding the possibility.

Greene declined to say whether she had spoken directly to Trump about the matter.

Greene argued Santos' punishment was overly harsh.

"George Santos never raped anybody, never murdered anybody, is not a child sex-trafficker. Why is he in solitary confinement?" she said, adding, "That is an extreme treatment for someone for the crimes that he was convicted of."

Greene began calling for a pardon after learning Santos had spent more than a month in solitary confinement.

Santos reported to prison in July at a federal facility in Fairton, New Jersey.

Santos' brief congressional career

Santos unexpectedly won a congressional seat in 2022, beginning a short, drama-filled career in Congress. He quickly faced scandal when The New York Times and other outlets reported that parts of his resume were fabricated.

In November 2023, less than a year in office, he announced he would not seek re-election after a scathing report from the House Ethics Committee found there was "substantial evidence" he "violated federal criminal laws," including using campaign funds for personal purposes and filing false campaign reports.

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Trump's extensive use of clemency power

Trump has aggressively used his clemency power in his second term. On his first day in office, he pardoned roughly 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

He has also granted clemency to a number of politicians, including former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, former Democratic Cincinnati City Council member P.G. Sittenfeld, former Republican New York Rep. Michael Grimm, and former Republican Connecticut Gov. John Rowland.