George Santos, the disgraced former Republican congressman, was freed from prison on Friday after President Trump commuted his sentence. The decision has sparked widespread anger and frustration among New Yorkers, with many calling it an outrage. Santos, who had been serving a seven-year sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, was released after President Trump announced that he had cut the sentence short.
Santos’s release comes amid a wave of clemency granted by the president to his political allies and other right-wing figures. The former congressman from Long Island, once seen as a fresh face in Republican politics, suffered a swift fall from grace after reporting from The New York Times exposed that he had fabricated much of his résumé and background.
Many of Santos’s former Democratic constituents on Long Island called the commutation a slap in the face, saying it was an attack on the rule of law. Some Republican critics of Santos also expressed their frustration with the decision, stating that it was unacceptable and sent a wrong message about accountability.
The incident has sparked calls for more Republicans to take a firmer stand against Santos’s release, with many New Yorkers hoping for bipartisan outrage over the decision.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/nyregion/george-santos-released-reaction.html