US President Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of George Santos, a former Republican congressman serving seven years in jail for fraud and determine theft.
In a put up on social media, Trump mentioned Santos “has been horribly mistreated”, including: “Subsequently, I simply signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from jail, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have an ideal life!”
The previous lawmaker was solely the sixth in US historical past to be expelled from Congress, after a damning ethics report in 2023.
Santos, who admitted to stealing the identities of 11 individuals – together with from his family members, was serving his sentence at a minimum-security jail in New Jersey. He was launched on Friday evening, US media report.
“God bless President Donald J Trump,” mentioned one among Santos’s legal professionals, Joseph Murray, following Trump’s announcement.
In April when Santos was sentenced a choose informed him: “You bought elected along with your phrases, most of which have been lies.”
He reportedly cried in court docket and begged for forgiveness, saying: “I can’t rewrite the previous, however I can management the highway forward.”
Prosecutors argued that the novice politician had lied about his background and misused marketing campaign funds to finance his way of life.
In his put up, Trump justified the transfer by criticising a Democratic lawmaker, Senator Richard Blumenthal, whom he accused of fabricating his US navy service.
“That is far worse than what George Santos did, and no less than Santos had the Braveness, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!” Trump wrote.
Trump has beforehand known as for an investigation into Blumenthal over the declare. The Democrat has acknowledged that he misspoke on quite a few events about his time within the navy, however has mentioned the mishaps have been greater than a decade previous.
“This allegation of 15 years in the past has been actually rejected by the voters of Connecticut 3 times, overwhelmingly re-electing me,” Blumenthal informed CNN earlier this month.
Santos’s downfall started in 2022, after the New York Instances printed an investigation revealing the freshman congressman had lied about his CV, together with having a college diploma and dealing for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.
From there, the lies continued to pile up, together with allegations that he stole cash from a fundraiser for a dying canine and that he lied about his mom surviving the 9/11 terrorist assaults. Shortly afterwards, native and federal officers started to analyze.
He was finally charged with 23 federal felony crimes, and in 2023 turned the primary expelled member of Congress in additional than 20 years, and solely the sixth in historical past.
A report from the Home ethics panel accused him of misusing marketing campaign funds for private advantages, together with Botox and subscriptions on the OnlyFans web site.
Santos defeated a Democratic incumbent in 2022, flipping the district that encompasses components of New York’s Lengthy Island and Queens, the place he grew up.
Earlier this week, Santos printed an open letter to Trump within the South Shore Press newspaper in Lengthy Island, repeating his plea to be pardoned.
The letter, which was titled a “passionate plea to President Trump” requested for “the chance to return to my household, my associates, and my group.”
He wrote that he had been stored in solitary confinement after a demise menace in August, and apologised for his actions.
“Mr President, I’m not asking for sympathy. I’m asking for equity – for the prospect to rebuild,” he wrote.
“I do know I’ve made errors in my previous. I’ve confronted my share of penalties, and I take full duty for my actions.
“However no man, regardless of his flaws, deserves to be misplaced within the system, forgotten and unseen, enduring punishment far past what justice requires.”
Santos begun serving his sentence in July.
Trump has issued pardons to no less than two different former Republican lawmakers since returning to workplace in January.
In Could, he pardoned former congressman Michael Grimm, who pleaded responsible in 2014 to tax crimes.
He additionally pardoned former Connecticut Governor John Rowland, who pleaded responsible in 2004 to corruption and fraud fees.
Commutations don’t void prison convictions, in contrast to a pardon.
