The American president justified the pardon by saying that Santos ‘was treated terribly’ and did not deserve to serve seven years in prison
The President of the United States granted a presidential pardon to the former Republican congressman, son of Brazilian immigrants, sentenced to seven years in prison for electronic fraud and identity theft. Hours after the announcement, Santos left the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey, according to his lawyer, Joseph Murray, to the The New York Times. “A great injustice has been corrected. God bless President Donald J. Trump, the greatest president in the history of the United States!”, declared Murray in a message published on the former parliamentarian’s social media.
In a post on the Truth Social platform, Trump stated that he decided to release Santos because he had been “treated terribly” in prison and did not deserve such a long sentence. “George Santos was a bit of a rebel, but there are many rebels in our country who don’t need to serve seven years in prison. I just signed his commutation, releasing George Santos from prison immediately. Good luck, George, and have a great life!”, wrote the president.
Santos, 37, had been arrested in July this year after admitting that he deceived campaign donors and improperly received unemployment insurance benefits. The former congressman was also accused of stealing the identities of supporters to obtain illegal funds.
Elected in 2022 to represent a district of , he had a meteoric rise in , but his career collapsed after a series of lies about his biography came to light. The former congressman falsely claimed to have graduated from renowned universities, worked on Wall Street and was descended from Holocaust survivors.
Expelled from the House of Representatives at the end of 2023, Santos became the sixth deputy in American history to lose his mandate due to a decision by his colleagues. Before his arrest, he tried to get back on his feet politically through a podcast and selling personalized videos on the internet.
The pardon for Santos reignites criticism of Trump for using presidential power in a controversial way. In his second term, the Republican had already pardoned supporters involved in the invasion of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Published by Felipe Dantas
*Report produced with the help of AI
