WASHINGTON — Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., said in a Sunday interview on CNN that he would only pay back approximately $374,000 in restitution if it is “required of me by the law.”
“I can do my best to do whatever the law requires of me,” Santos said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” when asked whether he would work to pay people back as a judge had previously ordered.
“So I don’t know what that is. I’ve been out of prison for two days. I agreed to come here to speak with you candidly and openly and not to obfuscate,” he said. “If it’s required of me by the law, yes. If it’s not, then no. I will do whatever the law requires me to do.”
Santos was released from prison after President Donald Trump commuted his sentence on Friday, cutting short his seven-year prison term after less than three months.
The former congressman had previously pleaded guilty to charges of committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. As part of his sentence, Santos was ordered to pay nearly $374,000 in restitution to those whom prosecutors characterized as his victims. Prosecutors had accused Santos of embezzling money from campaign donors and charging credit cards without authorization, among other crimes.
In a separate interview on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends Weekend,” Santos argued that he does not still have to pay restitution.
“I do not have any pendencies with the law anymore. I have no restitution. I have no probation,” he said, adding that “most of the restitution was really insane.”
Santos was previously expelled from the House in December 2023. Just over a month after he was elected, Santos was launched into the spotlight after The New York Times reported that he appeared to have fabricated much of his resume. In November 2023, the House Ethics Committee released a report that said there was “substantial evidence” that the then-congressman had “violated federal criminal laws,” prompting Santos to say he would not seek re-election.
Trump announced Friday that he would commute Santos’ sentence, asserting in a Truth Social post that Santos “has been horribly mistreated.” In the same post, Trump said that “at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!”
In the same post, Trump targeted Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who has apologized for saying he served in the military “in Vietnam” rather than “during Vietnam.” Trump argued that Blumenthal’s actions were “far worse than what George Santos did.” After Santos’ commutation, Blumenthal told NBC News that Trump’s “rant is fabricated nonsense,” adding that there was “no excuse for commuting George Santos’ sentence.”
Santos’ commutation also sparked the ire of Richard Osthoff, a Navy veteran who has accused Santos of pocketing money from a GoFundMe raising money to get his dog lifesaving surgery.
“My gut dropped; I felt like I was going to throw up,” Osthoff said after hearing about the commutation.
Santos thanked the president in his Fox News interview, praising Trump as having “such an amazing will for second chances.” In his interview on CNN, Santos dismissed Trump’s detractors.
“I’m pretty confident if President Trump had pardoned Jesus Christ off the cross, he would have had critics,” Santos said on CNN. “So that’s just the reality of our country.”
