President Donald Trump has commuted the federal prison sentence of George Santos, the former New York congressman convicted earlier this year on fraud and theft charges.
The announcement came Friday afternoon in an official statement from the White House, calling Santos’s punishment “excessive for a nonviolent offense.”
Santos had been serving a five-year sentence for wire fraud, identity theft, and falsifying campaign finance reports.
He was released from a federal facility in Pennsylvania hours after the order was signed.
The president said his decision was based on what he called “unequal justice” in the federal system, per NBC News.
He noted that Democrats accused of similar crimes “walk free while political allies are destroyed.”
Trump praised Santos for “showing remorse” and said the decision was made “after reviewing the totality of the case.”
He added that the move was not a pardon, which would erase the conviction entirely, but a commutation that ends the prison term.
“This is a clear message that justice will not be weaponized,” the president said. “We will not allow selective prosecution to ruin lives for political gain.”
The Justice Department declined to comment, but a senior official confirmed the Bureau of Prisons received the order at noon. Santos was processed for release later that day.
Outside the facility, Santos told reporters he was “grateful to President Trump” and called the commutation “an act of mercy.”
He said he plans to return to New York to “rebuild his life.”
Santos was expelled from Congress last year after a bipartisan House vote following revelations that he fabricated key parts of his biography and misused campaign funds.
His conviction included charges of fraud related to a scheme to collect donor contributions for personal expenses.
Prosecutors alleged Santos diverted thousands of dollars to pay for designer clothes and personal travel. In court, he admitted to “serious mistakes” but denied that his actions were motivated by greed.
The president’s decision sparked immediate backlash from Democrats, who accused him of rewarding corruption. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the move “a disgrace and a mockery of accountability.”
Republicans defended the decision, arguing Santos’s prosecution was political from the start. House conservatives praised Trump’s action as proof that “justice is being restored.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the decision reflected Trump’s broader approach to reforming the justice system.
“This administration stands for fairness and due process,” Patel said. “That principle extends even to those who have stumbled.”
Santos’s legal team said he will continue to appeal his conviction in hopes of clearing his name entirely. His attorney, Joe Murray, said the commutation “gives George a second chance to make things right.”
The president’s latest move fits a pattern of high-profile clemency actions that challenge what he calls a “two-tiered system of justice.” Advisors suggest more are coming as Trump continues reshaping the legal landscape from the Oval Office.
Trump’s decision enraged multiple conservatives in the MAGA movement, who strongly opposed the commutation.
In response to the Daily Mail’s article on the move, several readers expressed their dissatisfaction with the president.
“I voted for Trump, but I don’t agree with this. Talk about two sides of the coin. ICE rounding up illegals, many who have led a life of no crime, raising their children well, some going into the military. Now freeing Santos with the excuse..there are people who have done far worse..” one user said.
“Trump pardon a drag queen who swindled from Vets. All because he voted Republican. He said so himself, smh. Crazy,” another wrote.
