(Adds details on Santos letter, background on clemency power in paragraphs 8-12) By Nandita Bose and Ismail Shakil Oct 17 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Friday commuted the more than seven-year prison sentence of former U.S. Representative George Santos for fraud and identity theft, ordering his immediate release. Santos, who was expelled from Congress after a brief, scandal-plagued tenure, had pleaded guilty to inflating fundraising figures and falsifying donor names to secure Republican Party financial support during the 2022 election cycle. He was elected that year to represent a portion of New York City and its eastern suburbs as a Republican. During his campaign, Santos falsely claimed he attended New York University, worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and that his grandparents had fled the Nazis during World War II. He was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison in April of this year and began his sentence in July. On Friday, Trump said Santos had been "horribly mistreated" in prison. "George Santos was somewhat of a 'rogue,' but there are many rogues throughout our country who aren't forced to serve seven years in prison," Trump said on Truth Social. "Therefore, I just signed a commutation, releasing George Santos from prison IMMEDIATELY," he added. Santos spent much of his 11-month congressional term engulfed in scandal, sidelined by fellow lawmakers, and mocked by late-night comedians after it was revealed he had fabricated many elements of his personal history. Earlier this week, he published what he called a "passionate plea to President Trump," praising him and asking for "the opportunity to return to my family, my friends, and my community." He acknowledged making mistakes and said he had faced consequences and was taking full responsibility. The U.S. Constitution gives the president broad power to issue pardons to wipe away federal criminal convictions, or commutations to modify sentences. During his second term, Trump has made sweeping use of his clemency powers. On his first day back in office, he pardoned approximately 1,500 individuals charged in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, which was a failed attempt to prevent congressional certification of former President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory over Trump. Trump has also granted clemency to several political figures, including former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and former Cincinnati City Council member P.G. Sittenfeld, both Democrats, as well as former Republican Representative Michael Grimm of New York and former Connecticut Governor John Rowland. (Reporting by Nandita Bose and Ismail Shakil; editing by Costas Pitas and Rosalba O'Brien)
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