Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene goes to bat for George Santos, asks for prison commutation

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has asked President Donald Trump to commute the sentence of  disgraced ex-Rep.  George Santos, less than two weeks into Santos' 87-month prison sentence for his conviction on federal corruption charges.      

Greene, an outspoken Republican from Georgia known best for her unwavering support of Trump's MAGA base, argued the sentence is an "abusive overreach by the judicial system," according to an Aug. 4 letter she wrote to the Department of Justice posted on X.

The letter comes days after Trump in a White House interview with Newsmax acknowledged his authority to commute Santos' sentence, saying he would consider it but "nobody's asked me."  

"I wholeheartedly believe in justice and the rule of law, and I understand the gravity of such actions. However, I believe a seven-year sentence for such campaign-related matters for an individual with no prior criminal record extends far beyond what is warranted," Greene wrote. 

Santos, 37, reported to federal prison in New Jersey on July 25 after having pleaded guilty last year to 23 felony counts, including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, and agreed to pay more than $370,000 in restitution.

He had been accused of a series of crimes including fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits that were authorized during the coronavirus pandemic, lying on his congressional financial disclosure forms, filing fraudulent fundraising reports to get support for his congressional campaign and stealing thousands of dollars from his campaign contributors by charging their credit cards without authorization, Newsday previously reported.  

Santos’ attorney, Joseph Murray, told Newsday he submitted a pardon request application to the federal government in June and has increased his efforts to have Santos released since Trump's interview on Newsmax. 

Murray also requested that Santos’ American and Brazilian passports be returned to him “on my client’s behalf” in a letter Monday to U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert, who sentenced Santos. Murray did not provide a reason for his request, but in a text message said the passports would be “destroyed” per government policy if not retrieved within 90 days of Santos’ date of surrender to prison.

Murray said in the letter that “the government has no objection to this request.” Seybert had not yet replied as of Tuesday afternoon.

Santos, who grew up in Whitestone, Queens, ran twice with the backing of both national and local Republicans. He defeated Democrat Robert Zimmerman in 2022 and represented New York's 3rd Congressional District covering Nassau County and parts of eastern Queens for 18 months before becoming the sixth member to have ever been expelled from the U.S. House.

The seat is currently held by Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat. 

Newsday's Nicole Fuller contributed to this report.

By Candice Ferrette

candice.ferrette@newsday.comcandiceferrette

Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.