Trump commutes George Santos’ fraud sentence

ADAM GRAY/THE NEW YORK TIMES

George Santos, the former representative from New York, leaves Federal Court after his sentencing in Central Islip, N.Y., on April 2. President Donald Trump, on Friday, commuted the sentence of Santos, the disgraced Republican fabulist who was sentenced to more than 7 years in prison related to financial fraud schemes.

President Donald Trump today commuted the sentence of former Rep. George Santos, the disgraced Republican fabulist from New York who was sentenced to more than 7 years in prison for financial fraud.

In a social media post, Trump called Santos “somewhat of a ‘rogue’” but said that he believed that the former Congress member’s sentence was excessive, given the nature of his crime. The president also suggested he’d been moved by Santos’ accounts of being in solitary confinement, which he had published in a local Long Island newspaper.

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

Santos, 37, reported to prison in southern New Jersey on July 25 after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He was sentenced to 87 months and was scheduled to be released in September 2031, according to the Bureau of Prisons website.

During his plea hearing, Santos acknowledged his involvement in a variety of other schemes. He acknowledged lying to Congress, stealing money from campaign donors and fraudulently collecting unemployment benefits.

His commutation comes after pleading from some of his Republican allies, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., the brash MAGA adherent. Greene sent a letter in August asking the Justice Department for a commutation.

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At that time, Trump, who has doled out pardons or clemency to staunch supporters and others favored by his right-wing base, did not rule out offering a pardon to Santos, saying in an interview in Newsmax that he had not yet been asked.

“Nobody’s talked to me about it,” Trump said at the time. But after acknowledging Santos’ reputation for falsehoods, the president commended their shared political ideology.

“He lied like hell,” Trump said at the time. “And I didn’t know him, but he was 100% for Trump.”

In his post announcing Santos’ commutation, Trump cited their shared political views as a reason for his action, writing, “At least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

© 2025 The New York Times Company

See more:National newsPolitics

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