Donald Trump has ordered the release of former Republican politician George Santos, who was jailed for more than seven years on fraud and identity theft charges.
“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 US president posted on his social media platform.
He said he had “just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY.”
“Good luck George, have a great life!” Mr Trump added.
In April, the former New York representative was sentenced to 87 months after prosecutors said Santos preyed upon the campaign finance system and his own political party, donors and family members to line his own pockets.
His fall from grace came less than a year after he was elected to Congress in 2022. It had emerged he fabricated much of his life story, including his business credentials, education, sporting accolades and even his status as a Jewish man.
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Before Santos was jailed, his past claims were unravelling
The decision to commute his sentence followed a public campaign calling for the US president to issue a pardon. A senior White House official said that “many people wrote to him about it”.
While behind bars, Santos published a letter via a local newspaper pleading to Mr Trump directly.
“Sir, I appeal to your sense of justice and humanity – the same qualities that have inspired millions of Americans to believe in you,” he wrote.
“I humbly ask that you consider the unusual pain and hardship of this environment and allow me the opportunity to return to my family, my friends, and my community.”
George Santos leaving the Capitol in December 2023 after being expelled from the House of Representatives. Pic: AP
Santos kept in solitary
Earlier this week, Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene told Sky’s US partner NBC that she had been in contact with the Department of Justice and argued that his punishment was excessively harsh and he was being held in solitary confinement for his safety.
Although before he went to prison, Santos wrote on X, demanding “to be kept in solitary confinement for the entire duration” of his prison sentence.
Mr Trump’s post on Friday included accusations that Santos had been “mistreated” while in prison.
“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated,” Mr Trump wrote.
Life story was fabricated
After becoming the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress in 2022, Santos served less than a year before it was revealed that he had fabricated much of his life story.
On the campaign trail, Santos had claimed he was a successful business consultant with a sizable real estate portfolio.
But when his resume came under scrutiny, Santos eventually admitted he had never graduated from Baruch College – or been a standout player on the Manhattan college’s volleyball team, as he had claimed.
He wasn’t even Jewish but raised Catholic. Although Santos insisted he meant he was “Jew-ish” because his mother’s family had a Jewish background.
Read more:
Explainer: Who is George Santos?
Santos expelled from House
What is the US presidential pardon?
‘He stole millions’
But some have criticised the US president’s move. Republican Andrew Garbarino, who sits on the House Ethics Committee, said it is “not justice” for Santos to serve only a few months of his seven-year sentence.
Republican Nick LaLota, who represents a swing district in New York, said Santos “didn’t merely lie – he stole millions, defrauded an election”.
Mr Trump has been actively using his power to grant clemency in his second term.
On his first day in office, he pardoned roughly 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol and a number of politicians, including Democrats.
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