President Trump commutes the prison sentence of George Santos - NPR
Original story by: NPR
Last updated: Oct 17, 2025
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- Context: President Donald Trump announced a commutation of George Santos' prison sentence, releasing the former Congressman immediately. Santos was serving a sentence of over seven years for crimes related to defrauding campaign donors. This action follows a pattern of high-profile pardons and commutations issued by Trump during his second term.
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- Detailed Summary:
- George Santos, a former Republican Representative from New York, had his prison term commuted by President Donald Trump.
- Santos was serving a sentence of over seven years after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in 2024.
- Prosecutors accused Santos of a "mountain of lies, theft, and fraud" to enrich himself and deceive campaign donors.
- He began his sentence in July at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey.
- Reports of Santos fabricating aspects of his identity, including his education, employment, and upbringing, emerged after his election in 2020.
- Despite these inconsistencies, he was sworn into Congress in 2022.
- In 2023, Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives in a vote of 311-114, making him one of the few representatives expelled and the first without a criminal conviction at the time of expulsion.
- At the time of his expulsion, Santos faced 23 criminal charges.
- Trump justified his decision by comparing Santos' actions to Senator Richard Blumenthal's past statements about military service, which Blumenthal admitted he "misspoke" about.
- Trump also highlighted Santos' consistent Republican voting record.
- This commutation is part of a broader trend of high-profile pardons and commutations by Trump, including a blanket pardon for over 1,500 Jan. 6 Capitol attack-related charges and a pardon for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
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