Ex-New York Republican Rep. George Santos, who had his seven-year prison sentence commuted by President Donald Trump last week, has offered an apology to his former constituents.
Santos, 37, was expelled from Congress in 2023 for lying about his past and sentenced to 87 months behind bars in April after pleading guilty to wire fraud and identity theft, only to be pardoned by the president after serving just three months at FCI Fairton in New Jersey.
Trump’s actions also mean he will no longer have to pay $373,750 in restitution to his victims.
In a new interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night, Santos expressed contrition, especially when the presenter mentioned that the GOP man had been his former representative.
“You may not know this, but at one point, you were my former congressman,” Hannity told Santos. “I lived in Oyster Bay.”
“Sean, I’m very aware,” the ex-congressman replied. “Centre Island. That was where you lived. And thank you for having me. It’s a pleasure. To a former constituent, so, uh – and again, I owe you an apology, Sean. I owe the American people an apology. But most importantly, constituents, and I know you were one of them. And it’s a pleasure to be with you today.”
“I do believe in redemption,” Hannity said. “I believe in repentance. I went to Catholic school for 12 years. The word for ‘repentance’ means, in Latin, to change one’s heart.
“So, I have a question that no one has asked you… You don’t have to pay back anything. It was an amount of restitution for victims of over $373,000. There was another incident where you had repeatedly charged contributions of credit cards without people’s authorization. Two donors transferred money to a liability company. These are things that you pled guilty to.
“Here’s my question. Even though you’re not compelled with this commutation to pay it back, you think you should?”
Santos answered: “You know, Sean, I’ve put a lot of thought into that. And I’ve spoken to my legal team. I think that the right thing to do is to explore a way to make it right. Part of actually squaring away with everything that has happened in my life is to start fresh, and starting fresh, if it means we find a way to do it, sure.”
Announcing his decision on Friday, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison.”
The president went on to repeat debunked claims about Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s military service before adding: “At least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN! George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated.
“Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY. Good luck George, have a great life!”
In an open letter of gratitude to the president published subsequently in the New York newspaper The South Shore Press, Santos wrote: “I have faced my share of consequences, and I take full responsibility for my actions.
“But no man, no matter his flaws, deserves to be lost in the system, forgotten and unseen, enduring punishment far beyond what justice requires.”
His lawyer, Joseph Murray, urged the media to give Santos space over the weekend, saying he was “decompressing” after what had been a “traumatic” experience for him. He was, nevertheless, roundly mocked on NBC’s Saturday Night Live shortly afterwards.
Santos has since complained that he was “degraded and dehumanized” by prison wardens in a post about his jail time on X, naming the two officials he blamed for his treatment.
