George Santos Begs President Trump for a Pardon
The disgraced former congressman, who was sentenced to more than 7 years in federal prison, backtracks on asking for clemency.
Less than three months before he is scheduled to turn himself in to federal authorities to serve a 7-year prison term, George Santos is now begging Trump for a pardon.
The 36-year-old Republican’s plea backtracks on previous statements he made claiming he would not seek clemency from Trump.
However, it is not surprising, given the former New York congressman’s previous admissions to fabricating significant details of his life story after he was first elected.
It was those inconsistencies that triggered further questions about his campaign spending and fundraising activities — leading to both a congressional ethics investigation, a damning report from the House Ethics Committee accusing him of financial and ethical wrongdoing, his expulsion from Congress at the hands of his colleagues, and ultimately, criminal charges brought by the Department of Justice.
Santos pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft last August but had asked for the minimum prison sentence of 24 months in jail.
Prosecutors argued that inflammatory social media posts he made disparaging the Department of Justice, claiming to be the victim of a political witch-hunt, and denying some of the charges to which he had pleaded guilty showed he not only lacked remorse for his crimes but was likely to re-offend.
Senior Judge Joanna Seybert, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, sentenced Santos to the maximum sentence of 87 months in prison. He is to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons by 2 p.m. on July 25, 2025.
In a post on social media platform X last Friday, which he called “the hardest statement I have ever written,” Santos admitted to his crimes but took issue with his sentence, arguing it was excessive and claiming that it was politically motivated.
“I write this humbled, chastened, and fully accountable for choices that shattered the faith so many placed in me,” Santos wrote. “I betrayed the confidence entrusted to me by many. For that, I offer my deepest apology.
“When I pled guilty, I did so without reservation. I said then, and I repeat now, that my conduct betrayed my supporters and diminished the institution I was privileged to serve. Those words have weighed on me every day since,” he added. “I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead. I asked the Court for a sentence that balances accountability with the chance to prove through sustained, measurable action that I can still contribute positively to the community I wronged.
“I believe that 7 years is an over the top politically influenced sentence,” he continued, “and I implore that President Trump gives me a chance to prove I’m more than the mistakes I’ve made.”
Santos had previously told The New York Times that he would not ask for a pardon.
“The president knows my predicament,” he told the Times. “If the president thinks I’m worthy of any level of clemency that is bestowed upon him, he can go ahead and do it, but for me to seek a pardon is to deny accountability and responsibility.”
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