George Santos says he’s humbled but dismisses ‘pearl clutching’ critics
NEW YORK (AP) – A former U.S. Representative who served time for defrauding campaign donors has been released from prison. george santos He says he’s humbled by his experience behind bars but doesn’t mind critics upset President Donald Trump gave him mercy.
“I’m pretty sure if President Trump had pardoned Jesus Christ from the cross, he would have faced criticism,” Santos said in an interview with CNN on Sunday.
Santos took office after inventing a false persona as a Wall Street dealmaker. pleaded guilty to fraud and was indicted on identity theft charges last year and began serving a 7-year sentence in a New Jersey prison in July. But Trump ordered him released Friday after serving just 84 days. Trump called Santos a “thug” but said he didn’t deserve harsh punishment and should get credit for voting Republican.
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Santos said he “learned a lot” while in prison and ate “a modest slice of the pie, though not the whole pie.”
He also apologized to former voters in his New York congressional district, saying he was “in a chaotic fireball” when he committed his crimes. Santos admitted last year that he deceived donors and stole the identities of 11 people, including his own family members.
But when asked if his fellow Republicans were happy that Trump released him so soon, Santos said the President’s other pardon actions were worse. Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his sonHunter on weapons and tax charges.
“I’m sorry I didn’t pay much attention to the anger of my critics,” Santos said.
As part of his guilty plea, Santos agreed to pay $373,750 in restitution and a $205,003 penalty. But Trump’s pardon order appeared to spare him from paying more fines or restitution.
Santos said he was given a second chance and intends to make “amends,” but when asked if he wanted to repay campaign donors he defrauded, he responded only if he had to.
“If the law requires it, yes, if not, no,” Santos said.
In a letter published on October 13, Santos directly appealed for help to Trump, citing his loyalty to Trump’s agenda and the Republican Party. South Coast Press. However, in his statement on Sunday, he said that he had no expectations and that he learned about the commutation from fellow prisoners who saw the news on television.
Revelations that Santos fabricated much of his life story emerged just weeks after he became the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress in 2022.
Santos said during the campaign that he was a successful business consultant with a sizable real estate portfolio. But he eventually admitted that he had embellished his biography. She never graduated from Baruch College, where she claimed to have been a standout player on the Manhattan college’s volleyball team. He had never worked at Citigroup or Goldman Sachs. He did not own property.
In reality, he was struggling financially, had worked multiple jobs, including a job for a company accused of running a Ponzi scheme, and even faced eviction.
After becoming the sixth person to be expelled from Congress, Santos earned hundreds of thousands of dollars selling personalized videos to the public on Cameo. It returned to service on Sunday.
