As former New York Republican Rep. George Santos begins his more than seven-year sentence in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, it remains to be seen whether President Donald Trump will pardon him.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., penned a letter to Department of Justice Pardon Attorney Ed Martin Monday, requesting commutation for Santosâ âcampaign-related charges.â
âWhile his crimes warrant punishment, many of my colleagues who I serve with have committed far worse offenses than Mr. Santos yet have faced zero criminal charges,â wrote Greene. âCommuting his sentence would acknowledge the severity of his actions and simultaneously provide a path forward in allowing him to make amends for his crimes.â
Trump, however, has not yet indicated interest in pardoning Santos, who was expelled from the House of Representatives in 2023 during his freshman term due to serial dishonesty and fraudulent claims.
Asked in a Newsmax interview that aired Friday if he would consider pardoning Santos, Trump replied, âHe lied like hell, I have to tell you. And I didnât know him, but he was 100% for Trump, but I didnâtâI might have met him maybe, maybe not, I donât know. But he was a congressman and his vote was solid.â
Santos was caught in a number of falsehoods and half-truths, such as claiming he worked for Goldman Sachs, that the September 11th attack led to his motherâs death, and that he was a star volleyball player at Baruch College.
Trump added in the interview, âNobodyâs talked to me about it⊠Is [his sentence] seven years? Thatâs a long time.â
For now, Santos is housed in a federal prison in New Jersey, and he is not underplaying how much he dislikes it.
âItâs not just the loss of freedomâitâs the erosion of your dignity. Itâs realizing how many basic human rights we all take for granted on the outside,â wrote Santos in an article published Monday by The South Shore Press, a Long Island-based publication.
âThe bathroom, though, deserves its own horror novel,â writes Santos. âThe closest thing I can compare it to is an abandoned gym locker room from a forgotten high schoolâgrim, damp, smelling of mildew and regret. You donât go in there without flip-flops and prayer.â