LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Former Congressman George Santos thanked Jesus Christ and President Trump after the president commuted his seven-year sentence for wire fraud and identity theft on Friday. A House Ethics Committee report found Santos spent donations from his supporters shopping at Sephora, taking luxury trips and paying for OnlyFans. On Sunday, Santos said this on CNN.
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GEORGE SANTOS: I've learned a great deal and a very large slice of humble pie, if not the entire pie, for the experience I had.
FADEL: Two years ago, Santos was kicked out of Congress by a bipartisan vote. For more on the president's clemency, New York Times reporter Michael Gold joins me now. Good morning, Michael.
MICHAEL GOLD: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So how did Santos get the president's attention?
GOLD: I think there are a few things that happened here. You know, Santos gets sentenced and immediately starts asking for clemency, and it doesn't look like it's going to happen for a while. But in August, Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was an ally of his in Congress and who Santos considers a friend, started to push for him to get a pardon. And around that time, Trump is asked in a Newsmax interview if he would consider a pardon or commutation for Santos, and he says, well, no one ever asked me. So Marjorie Taylor Greene starts asking, and that seems to get the ball rolling and put the bug in the president's ear, which basically leads us to where we are this week.
FADEL: And what reason did the president give for the commutation?
GOLD: Yeah. So President Trump tends to see the justice system through a pretty clear lens, and he likes to make the claim that the justice system is weaponized against people who Democrats politically disagree with. And in his tweet - excuse me - in his Truth Social post announcing this, he basically compared Santos to Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut, who mischaracterized his service record in Vietnam War-era times. And Trump says that, you know, Blumenthal is out, Blumenthal never got investigated for lying. Why should Santos be in prison for seven years? And Trump says at one point earlier this month, it's crazy that there's a congressman who's in prison for lying.
I just want to point out Santos' crimes. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, mostly for stealing money from donors.
FADEL: Now, Democrats have criticized the move. Republicans have had mixed reactions. What are they saying?
GOLD: Yeah. Republicans are split. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, obviously very happy, as are some of the other more right-wing members of the Republican conference. Anna Paulina Luna, Tim Burchett and Lauren Boebert have all celebrated this. But Republicans from New York are not happy. Nick LaLota from Long Island, who was one of the first to push for Santos, first to resign and then to be expelled, said that Santos' actions warranted more than a three-month sentence. Nicole Malliotakis was very direct. She said she disagreed with this commutation. And these are Republicans in New York who are sitting in swing districts in some cases and who are very worried about their prospects for the midterms.
FADEL: Now, Santos had spoken out from prison, saying he was dealing with poor conditions. What do we know about what he experienced?
GOLD: Sure. So before he went to prison, Santos was writing a column for a small weekly newspaper in Long Island called the South Shore Press, and he continues that column after he goes to prison. He's sending emails to his husband, who's forwarding them onto the paper. And he's talking about air conditioning being terrible and mold in the ceiling. And then he goes into solitary confinement. He's put in protective custody for death threats, and that's when he really starts speaking out about how bad prisons are.
FADEL: And really quickly, is Santos planning to get back into politics?
GOLD: He's not ruling it out. He told CNN that he didn't think it would happen in the next decade, but he's not ruling out the possibility. Although with all things George Santos says, we have to be careful with what we consider at face value.
FADEL: Yes. Michael Gold with The New York Times, thank you for your time.
GOLD: Thank you.
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