Trump ordered the release of a former Republican congressman from prison

US President Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of former Congressman George Santos, who had been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for fraud and identity theft.

Santos, who was expelled from Congress after a series of scandals, had falsified information about donors and “inflated” the figures when raising funds for the Republican campaign. The White House chief noted that the convicted man was “a petty crook,” but emphasized that there were worse people in the country who had not ended up in prison.

He therefore decided to release him immediately. Santos confessed his wrongdoing and recently asked the president for forgiveness so he could return to his family and community.

The AFP news agency pointed out that a commutation by the president differs from a pardon in that the original conviction remains valid, but the sentence imposed is reduced.

(reuters, afp, max)