April 25, 2025: George Santos, expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives, arrives at the Central Islip Federal Courthouse in Central Islip, New York, U.S., to be sentenced on corruption charges.
Shannon Stapleton Reuter
President Donald Trump announced Friday night that he had commuted George Santos’ prison sentence and immediately released the disgraced former Republican lawmaker.
“While Mr. Santos was a ‘thug’ in some ways, there are many thugs in our country who should not be sentenced to seven years in prison,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Santos pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison. He began serving his sentence in late July.
The 37-year-old New York congressman served in the House for less than a year before being expelled from Congress amid scandal in December 2023.
Mr. Santos admitted that even before he was sworn into office, he lied about important details of his life during his campaign. While in Congress, he was indicted by the Justice Department on a series of federal crimes, including fraud, theft, money laundering, and false statements.
President Trump’s decision to commute Santos’ sentence came after several friends and allies of the imprisoned former politician called for his pardon, a senior White House official told NBC News Friday evening.
Trump also recently read Santos’ book from prison, which describes his living conditions, the official told NBC.
In a flattering letter published Monday in the South Shore Press, a local Long Island news outlet, Santos asked President Trump directly for clemency.
“You have always been a man of second chances and a leader who believes in redemption and rebirth,” Santos wrote. “I now ask from the depths of my heart that you extend that same belief to me.”
In a social media post Friday, President Trump said he started thinking about Santos after remembering Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who withstood intense criticism during his 2010 Senate campaign for saying he had “served in Vietnam” even though he had never been there.
President Trump said in early October that Blumenthal “must be investigated and justice must be sought.” The attack came hours after Attorney General Pam Bondi directly accused Mr. Blumenthal of lying about his military record in a combative and politically charged Senate hearing.
Blumenthal said in 2010 that he had made numerous gaffes about his service. The senator said on CNN last week that Trump’s accusations are “completely deceptive and distorted.”
Trump did not serve in the military.
President Trump wrote on Friday that Blumenthal’s performance was “far worse than George Santos’. At least Mr. Santos had the courage, conviction, and intelligence to always vote Republican!”
“George has been in solitary confinement for an extended period of time and is apparently being severely abused,” Trump wrote.
“Therefore, I have just signed a commutation of sentence that will release George Santos from prison. Good luck, George, and have a great life!”
