(The Hill) — Former Representative George Santos (R-N.Y.), who is facing over seven years in prison after admitting guilt to charges of wire fraud and identity theft, announced this week that he plans to request clemency from President Donald Trump.
“I’ll take a commutation, clemency, whatever the president is willing to give me,” Santos expressed to British media figure Piers Morgan during an episode of Morgan’s YouTube program “Uncensored” on Thursday.
“Seven years and three months in prison for a first-time offender regarding campaign matters seems excessively harsh, and I would appreciate it if the president would consider,” he commented.
The embattled former lawmaker also noted that he is filling out paperwork to formally seek intervention from the White House before he reports to prison in July.
Santos was elected to represent New York’s affluent Long Island-centered 3rd District in 2022, becoming the first openly gay Republican to win a House seat as a nonincumbent. But his standing quickly unraveled as he was exposed for a slew of fanciful lies about his background. The House expelled Santos from the chamber in a 311–114 vote in 2023, as ethics charges mounted against him.
“I do believe this is an unfair judgment handed down to me,” he said Thursday. “I think there was a lot of politicization over the process.”
The White House didn’t immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment, but Trump has demonstrated a willingness to use his presidential power to aid like-minded politicians facing jail time.
The president pardoned a Republican former Tennessee state lawmaker last month who had pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and was serving a 21-month sentence.
“May God bless America, despite the prosecutorial sins it committed against me, President Trump, and others the past four years,” former state Sen. Brian Kelsey said in a social media post about his reprieve.
In his interview with Morgan, Santos blasted former Biden administration Attorney General Merrick Garland, whom Trump and his allies have frequently criticized and accused of weaponizing the Department of Justice against the president and his allies.
“Merrick Garland was by far the most disgraceful and disgraced political (Attorney General) to ever serve in that capacity of the United States,” Santos said.
