George Santos says he’s humbled but dismisses ‘pearl clutching’ critics

NEW YORK– NEW YORK (AP) — Freed from prison where he was serving time for defrauding his campaign donors, former U.S. Rep. George Santos says he is touched by his experience behind bars, but unfazed by the “pearls” from critics upset that President Donald Trump granted him clemency.

“I am convinced that if President Trump had pardoned Jesus Christ from the cross, he would have had criticism,” Santos said Sunday in an interview on CNN.

Santos, who rose to power after inventing a false persona as a Wall Street dealmaker, pleaded guilty to fraud and identity theft last year and began serving a 7-year sentence in July in a New Jersey prison. But Trump ordered him released Friday after serving just 84 days. Trump called Santos a “thug” but said he did not deserve a harsh sentence and should be given credit for voting Republican.

Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Santos said he had “learned a lot” and had “a very big piece of the modest pie, if not the entire pie” during his incarceration.

He also apologized to former constituents in his New York congressional district, saying he was “in a chaotic fireball” when he committed his crimes. Santos admitted last year to cheating donors and stealing the identities of 11 people, including members of his own family.

But asked about fellow Republicans upset that Trump released him so soon, Santos said other acts of presidential clemency had been worse, citing President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter, for gun and tax crimes.

“So forgive me if I don’t pay too much attention to the outrage of my critics,” Santos said.

As part of his guilty plea, Santos agreed to pay restitution of $373,750 and forfeiture of $205,003. But Trump’s pardon order appears to have relieved him of paying any additional fines or restitution.

Santos said he had been given a second chance and intended to “make amends,” but when asked if he intended to repay the campaign donors he defrauded, he said if he had to.

“If the law requires it, yes. If it doesn’t, then no,” Santos said.

Santos had directly appealed to Trump for help, citing his loyalty to the president’s agenda and to the Republican Party in a letter published Oct. 13 in The South Shore Press. But he said Sunday that he had no expectations and that he learned of his commutation from fellow inmates who saw the news on television.

Revelations that Santos fabricated much of his life story surfaced just weeks after he became the first openly gay Republican to be elected to Congress in 2022.

Santos had said during his election campaign that he was a successful business consultant with a large real estate portfolio. But he finally admitted to embellishing his biography. He had never graduated from Baruch College, where he claimed to be a standout player on the Manhattan college volleyball team. He had never worked at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. He did not own any property.

In truth, he was struggling financially, had worked several jobs, including one for a company accused of running a Ponzi scheme, and had even been deported.

After becoming only the sixth person to be expelled from Congress, Santos made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling personalized videos to the public on Cameo. He returned to duty on Sunday.