President Donald Trump said Friday that he had signed a commutation that would immediately release former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from prison.
“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated,” Trump posted on Truth Social Friday evening. “Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!”
In April, Santos was sentenced to more than seven years in prison.
Last year, he pleaded guilty to charges of committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, conduct that prosecutors said was part of a yearslong scheme that preyed upon the campaign finance system and his own political party, donors and family members in order to line his own pockets.
A senior White House official said Trump made the decision to help Santos this week. The official added that “many people wrote to him about it.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has publicly campaigned for a Santos pardon. In an interview with NBC News this week, she said she had been in contact with the Department of Justice in recent weeks regarding the possibility.
Greene declined to say whether she had spoken directly to Trump about the matter.
Greene argued that Santos’ punishment was overly harsh.
“George Santos never raped anybody, never murdered anybody, is not a child traffic sex trafficker. Why is he in solitary confinement?” she said, adding, “That is an extreme treatment for someone for the crimes that he was convicted of.”
Greene began calling for a pardon after learning Santos had spent more than a month in solitary confinement.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Jonathan Allen, Katherine Koretski and Dareh Gregorian contributed.
