George Santos, who was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives, arrives for the sentencing in his criminal corruption charges at Central Islip Federal Courthouse in Central Islip, New York, U.S., April 25, 2025.
Shannon Stapleton | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Friday evening said he has commuted the prison sentence of George Santos, releasing the disgraced former Republican congressman immediately.
Santos “was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Santos was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison this year after pleading guilty to committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He began serving his sentence in late July.
The 37-year-old New York representative served in the House for less than a year before he was expelled from Congress under a cloud of scandal in December 2023.
Even before he was sworn in, Santos admitted lying about key details of his life on the campaign trail. While in Congress, he was charged by the Department of Justice with an array of federal crimes including fraud, theft, money laundering and making false statements.
Trump’s decision to commute Santos’ sentence came after multiple friends and allies of the imprisoned ex-politician made appeals for his clemency, a senior White House official told NBC News on Friday evening.
Trump had also recently read Santos’ writings from prison describing his living conditions, the official told NBC.
In a flattery-filled letter published Monday in local Long Island news outlet The South Shore Press, Santos directly asked Trump for clemency.
“You have always been a man of second chances, a leader who believes in redemption and renewal,” Santos wrote. “I am asking you now, from the depths of my heart, to extend that same belief to me.”
In his social media post Friday, Trump said he began thinking about Santos after being reminded of Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who weathered heavy criticism during his 2010 Senate campaign for saying he had “served in Vietnam” when he had never been deployed there.
Trump had said earlier in October that Blumenthal “should be investigated, and Justice should be sought.” The attack came hours after Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a combative and politically charged Senate hearing, directly accused Blumenthal of lying about his military record.
Blumenthal said in 2010 that he had misspoken about his service on multiple occasions. On CNN last week, the senator said Trump’s accusations are “completely deceptive and distorted.”
Trump did not serve in the military.
Trump wrote Friday that Blumenthal’s record “is far worse than what George Santos did, and at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!”
“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated,” Trump wrote.
“Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!”