Newly freed Santos calls Trump commutation ‘humbling’

Former Rep. George Santos revealed Sunday that he learned that President Trump had commuted his prison sentence from fellow inmates who saw the news on television.

Mr. Trump announced Friday that he had commuted Santos’s sentence, which stemmed from convictions for wire fraud and identity theft. The former congressman from New York’s 3rd District had been serving a more than seven-year term at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey, after pleading guilty last year.

“The president was very kind, and it was a humbling experience,” Mr. Santos said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Other inmates saw it and called me over to see it. I was not in the room at the time, and then I made my way to see it.”

In his announcement, Mr. Trump described Mr. Santos as “somewhat of a ‘rogue,’” adding, “there are many rogues throughout our country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison.”’

He also praised Mr. Santos for having “the courage, conviction, and intelligence to always vote Republican!”

“Good luck George, have a great life!” he said.

Mr. Santos, who won his congressional seat in 2022 and served less than a year before he was expelled, was sentenced in April and began serving his term in July. Shortly after his sentencing, he appealed to the present, casting his punishment as “an over-the-top politically influenced sentence,” and expressing fear of how he would be treated in prison.

Mr. Trump’s decision drew swift backlash from lawmakers, including Rep. Nick LaLota, a New York Republican.

“George Santors didn’t merely lie — he stole millions, defrauded an election, and his crimes (for which he pled guilty) warrant more than a three-month sentence,” Mr. LaLota said on X. “He should devote the rest of his life to demonstrating remorse and making restitution to those he wronged.”

Others, however, welcomed Mr. Trump’s announcement.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene defended Mr. Santos, saying, “He was unfairly treated and put in solitary confinement, which is torture!!”

For his part, Mr. Santos brushed aside the criticism, saying he was unfazed by the outrage.

Mr. Santos pointed to President Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter, following felony convictions for gun and tax offenses. Mr. Biden had previously promised not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family.

“People are going to like me. People are going to hate me. It doesn’t matter whoever gets clemency in the future, or whoever that person might be,” Mr. Santos said Sunday on CNN.” “I’m pretty confident if President Trump had pardoned Jesus Christ off of the cross, he would have had critics. So that’s just the reality of our country.”