Trump says he has commuted sentence of George Santos in federal fraud case

Donald Trump said Friday he had commuted the sentence of George Santos, the former US representative who is serving more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft charges.

The New York Republican was sentenced in April after admitting last year to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of 11 people – including his own family members – to make donations to his campaign.

He reported to Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, in southern New Jersey, on 25 July and is being housed in a minimum security prison camp with fewer than 50 other inmates.

“I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump posted on his social media platform.

Santos had appealed to the Trump administration to intercede within hours of receiving his sentence, insisting in social media posts and interviews that it was overly harsh and politically motivated.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a prominent former House colleague, also urged the White House to commute his sentence, saying in a letter sent just days into his prison bid that the punishment was “a grave injustice” and a product of judicial overreach.

The judge in Santos’ case had agreed with federal prosecutors that a stiffer sentence was warranted because Santos didn’t seem remorseful, despite what he and his lawyers claimed.

Santos’ commutation is Trump’s latest high-profile act of clemency for former Republican politicians since retaking the White House in January.

In late May, he pardoned Michael Grimm, a New York former Republican representative who in 2014 pleaded guilty to underreporting wages and revenue at a restaurant he ran in Manhattan.

He also pardoned John Rowland, the former Connecticut governor whose promising political career was upended by a corruption scandal and two federal prison stints.

Trump himself was convicted in a New York court last year in a case involving hush money payments. He derided the case as part of a politically motivated witch hunt.

Santos was once an up-and-coming star for the Republican party.