President Donald Trump said on social media Friday that he has commuted the sentence of disgraced former Rep. George Santos, who had been serving a seven-year sentence for the fraud charges that got him ousted from Congress.
“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,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life,” the president added.
Trump’s commutation comes just months after Santos, 37, surrendered on July 25 to serve 87 months in prison.
Before he surrendered, Santos told Saudi outlet Al Arabiya English that he asked Trump for a pardon but believed he “got stonewalled.”
“I don’t think it made it to the president,” Santos said of his pardon request. “Unfortunately, gatekeepers have blockaded for it to ever get to the president.”
In August 2024, the former congressman pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and wire fraud charges stemming from activity during his 2022 midterm campaign.
“I deeply regret my conduct,” Santos said in court at that time. “I accept full responsibility for my actions.”
Santos was expelled from Congress in December 2023, before completing a full term in the US House – becoming only the sixth lawmaker ever to be expelled from the chamber.
During his short time in Congress, reports emerged of Santos having fabricated parts of his biography, including his employment history and education. He eventually admitted to doing that.
Santos represented parts of Long Island and Queens and attempted to run in another New York district before pleading guilty.
Santos had been serving out his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, in southern New Jersey, per the federal Bureau of Prisons.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
