New York GOP rep: Trump's commutation of Santos 'the wrong decision'

Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.) said Sunday that President Trump's commuting the sentence of former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was “the wrong decision."

“I do not agree with the commutation. I think it was a wrong decision, primarily because this is somebody who stole [hundreds of thousands] of dollars from his donors,” Malliotakis said on CNN’s "State of the Union." “He defrauded the public and his voters.”

The president commuted the former congressman’s seven-year prison sentence on Friday. Santos, 37, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in August 2024, and he reported to a New Jersey prison in July. 

During an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday, Santos said he has been “humbled” by his time in prison and expressed a desire to reform the criminal justice system. 

In a statement he posted to the social platform X later in the morning, Santos claimed it is “unfair” for those in the media to ask his former peers in the House or Senate about Trump commuting his sentence.

“I take full responsibility for addressing inquiries related to my situation. I am currently in a period of reflection and healing, and if part of that process means facing tough questions from the media, I am willing, ready, and able to do so,” he said.

Santos was expelled from the House in December 2023, after less than a year in the lower chamber, amid the initial allegations. Malliotakis was one of 311 House members to vote for his expulsion.

Malliotakis, who noted that Santos’s seven-year sentence was “harsh,” called for her former colleague to back up his words with actions.

“I wish him well, I hope he does good and I hope he sticks to his word that he’s a renewed person,” Malliotakis said.