MTG urges Donald Trump to commute George Santos' prison sentence

Yahoo

15 hours ago

Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling on the Trump administration to commute the sentence of former Congressman George Santos, who was sentenced to seven years in prison earlier this year after pleading guilty to wire fraud and identity theft.
'George Santos has taken responsibility,' Greene wrote on X, sharing a letter she sent to the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney. 'He's shown remorse. It's time to correct this injustice.'
'I wholeheartedly believe in justice and the rule of the law, and I understand the gravity of such actions,' the letter reads. 'However, I believe a seven-year sentence for such campaign-related matters for an individual with no prior criminal record extends far beyond what is warranted.'
Greene claimed Santos, who has sold Cameo videos speaking to fans and hosted a podcast playing on his reputation called Pants on Fire, was 'sincerely remorseful and has accepted full responsibility for his actions.'
In April, Santos was sentenced to 87 months in prison for wire fraud and identity theft after pleading guilty last year and agreeing to nearly $374,000 in restitution payments.
The following month, the former New York representative, who prosecutors accused of pocketing thousands of dollars in donor funds, appealed to the president for a full pardon.
'Previously, I was not entertaining a pardon because I didn't know what my judgment would be. Now, I am in the process of filling an application to a pardon for the president. I'll take a commutation, a clemency, whatever the president is willing to give me,' Santos said in an interview with Piers Morgan.
'I do believe this is an unfair judgment handed down to me,' he added. 'There was a lot of politicization over the process.'
Santos, 37, is now in custody at a federal prison in Fairton, New Jersey. He was expelled from Congress in December 2023, following the release of a damning ethics report.
He shared a goodbye post on X before entering prison thanking his allies and critics alike.
'Well, darlings…The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,' he wrote. 'From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it's been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days.'
Santos was charged with 23 felony counts for three alleged schemes to use donor money and government assistance funds to enrich himself while running for Congress. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Republican, who was elected in 2022, also grabbed headlines for exaggerating details about his education and work experience, as well as his mother's whereabouts during 9/11 and his Jewish heritage.
Greene has sought presidential intervention for controversial figures before.
In May, she asked the president to pardon Derek Chauvin, the then-Minneapolis police officer who murdered George Floyd in a widely seen 2020 incident that set off national protests.