President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he has commuted the prison sentence of George Santos, the disgraced former Republican congressman from New York, who was serving more than seven years in prison for federal fraud and identity theft charges. The commutation results in Santos’s immediate release from custody.
Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social on October 17, 2025, stating that he had signed a commutation to release Santos from prison immediately. He described Santos as a “rogue” but argued that his crimes were not severe enough to warrant a seven-year sentence, comparing the situation to past statements by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal about his military service.
George Santos was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020 but faced immediate scrutiny over numerous fabrications in his background, including false claims about his education, employment, and personal history. Despite these revelations, he was sworn into Congress in 2022, but the inconsistencies eventually led to his expulsion.
In 2023, the House voted overwhelmingly, 311-114, to expel Santos from office, making him the sixth representative ever expelled and the first without a prior criminal conviction. At the time, he was facing 23 criminal charges related to campaign finance fraud and other offenses.
Santos pleaded guilty in 2024 to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors accused him of orchestrating a scheme to deceive campaign donors and enrich himself, leading to his sentencing to more than seven years in federal prison. He began serving his sentence in July 2025 at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey.
Trump’s decision to commute Santos’s sentence is part of a pattern of high-profile pardons and commutations during his presidency. Earlier in his second term, Trump issued a blanket pardon for over 1,500 individuals charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, and he had previously commuted the sentence of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.
The commutation has sparked mixed reactions, with supporters viewing it as an act of mercy and critics questioning the consistency of justice. Santos, a vocal Trump ally, has consistently voted along Republican lines, which Trump highlighted in his announcement.
With his release, Santos is now free, but the long-term implications for his political future and the broader political landscape remain uncertain. The event underscores ongoing debates about presidential pardon powers and accountability in government.