Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for Trump to commute George Santos’ sentence

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, has sent a letter calling for President Donald Trump to commute the sentence of disgraced ex-Rep. George Santos, who recently began his 87-month prison term for identity theft and wire fraud. In the letter sent to the federal Office of the Pardon Attorney on Monday, Aug. 4, Greene called the length of Santos’ sentence “an abusive overreach by the judicial system.” She called for a commuted sentence, which could shorten the length of time Santos would have to serve in prison. “I wholeheartedly believe in justice and the rule of law, and I understand the gravity of such actions,” Greene wrote in the letter. “However, I believe a seven-year sentence for such campaign-related matters for an individual with no prior criminal record extends far beyond what is warranted.” Santos was handed the longest sentence available for his crimes, which the Justice Department pursued. His defense team sought a shorter sentence of two years in prison with two years of suspended release. Greene vouched for Santos and his character in the letter, saying he was willing and dedicated to “serve the people of New York who elected him to office.” “He committed himself to serving his constituents and did whatever it took to represent their interests in Washington D.C.,” Greene wrote in the letter. “He is sincerely remorseful and has accepted full responsibility for his actions. She said these sentiments of remorse are also witnessed by Santos’ pastor, whom her office had spoken to. https://twitter.com/RepMTG/status/1952513823379701853 Trump made comments this week acknowledging Santos’ support for him, saying he “lied like hell” but was “100% for Trump.” Santos’ attorney previously said he was seeking a presidential pardon for his client, but Santos later said he would no longer seek one. The letter comes just over a week after Santos surrendered himself to authorities to begin his prison sentence on July 25. He is in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution Fairton in Fairton, N.J. His seven-year punishment combines two consecutive sentences for the two counts he pleaded guilty to. He is also required to pay $373,000 in restitution to his victims. Santos, who represented New York’s 3rd Congressional District on the North Shore of Nassau County and northeastern Queens, was elected in November 2022. He was expelled in December 2023 following House Ethics investigations into allegations of his unethical and illegal activities that began shortly following his election. Before being expelled from Congress, Santos was indicted in May 2023 on 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making materially false statements to Congress. In October 2023, he was handed an additional 10 conspiracy charges to commit offenses against the United States, wire fraud, lying to the Federal Election Commission, falsifying records, aggravated identity theft, and device fraud. In August 2024, Santos pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and identity theft. In exchange for his guilty plea, the 21 other charges from his indictment were dropped. In court, Santos admitted to falsifying campaign fund numbers to meet Federal Election Commission benchmarks and get proper funding from the Republican National Committee — something his campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, pleaded guilty to. He admitted to applying for unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic despite not being unemployed. He also admitted to doing this using the names of friends and family members, which is the basis for the wire fraud and identity theft charges. “George Santos has taken responsibility. He’s shown remorse,” Greene wrote on X. “It’s time to correct this injustice.”