OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
4:25 PM – Friday, October 17, 2025
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he has commuted the prison sentence of George Santos, the former GOP representative from New York who was serving more than seven years in federal prison for fraud and identity theft.
Santos served around three months in prison before Trump commuted his sentence on Friday. The commutation ends Santos’ prison term effective immediately but does not erase his conviction.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed that Santos had been “horribly mistreated” and described him as a “rogue” who fell victim to “political persecution” by the Democrats.
“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. I started to think about George when the subject of Democrat Senator Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal came up again. As everyone remembers, “Da Nang” stated for almost twenty years that he was a proud Vietnam Veteran, having endured the worst of the War, watching the Wounded and Dead as he raced up the hills and down the valleys, blood streaming from his face. He was “a Great Hero,” he would leak to any and all who would listen — And then it happened! He was a COMPLETE AND TOTAL FRAUD. He never went to Vietnam, he never saw Vietnam, he never experienced the Battles there, or anywhere else. His War Hero status, and even minimal service in our Military, was totally and completely MADE UP. This 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. Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!” Trump posted to Truth Social.
Santos, 36, pleaded guilty in August last year to counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft after admitting to using false donor identities, misrepresenting campaign contributions, and diverting funds for personal expenses.
In April, he was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $370,000 in restitution — while forfeiting $200,000 in assets.
He began serving his sentence in July at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey. Santos had publicly complained about prison conditions, emphasizing poor living conditions and long periods of solitary confinement.
The former congressman also gained national infamy in 2023 when reports alleged he had fabricated large portions of his personal and professional background, including his education and work history. He was expelled from the House of Representatives later that year in a bipartisan vote.
Reactions to the Santos commutation were divided. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) praised the move, agreeing with President Trump in regard to the sentence being excessive. However, Democrat critics have accused the president of using executive clemency to “reward political loyalty and undermine accountability.”
A commutation differs from a presidential pardon in that it reduces or ends a sentence but does not expunge the underlying conviction. Santos remains a convicted felon and could still face financial penalties or civil liabilities stemming from his case, analysts say.
Santos is now expected to be released from federal custody within days. In a brief statement through his attorney, he adamantly thanked President Trump and emphasized that he was eternally “grateful for a second chance.”
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