George Santos says he needs to reform American prisons

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Former lawmaker George Santos (R-New York), who served 84 days in federal jail earlier than receiving a presidential commutation on Friday, says he is aware of what he needs to do along with his life now that he’s not incarcerated.

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“There is nothing extra that I wish to do than to focus and dedicate my complete life to jail reform,” Santos stated in an interview Saturday.

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Santos, who referred to as his time in jail “humbling,” stated the situations on the jail he served time in – FCI Fairton, a federal correctional facility in New Jersey – had been in “disarray.” He stated he spent practically half of his time in solitary confinement, an expertise he referred to as “dehumanizing” that knowledgeable his professed dedication to penal reform.

“There are lots of people in jail, struggling. I’m not saying that individuals who have dedicated crimes deserve a faucet on the pinnacle, however in addition they deserve humanity,” Santos stated.

Elected to the House of Representatives in 2022, Santos was sentenced to 87 months in federal jail in April after pleading responsible to id theft and wire fraud. He was expelled from Congress following the discharge of a 56-page House Ethics Committee report that accused him of stealing cash from his marketing campaign, deceiving donors about how their contributions can be used, creating fictitious loans and interesting in fraudulent enterprise dealings, amongst different misconduct.

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Beyond his authorized troubles, Santos earned a repute as a liar after fabricating particulars of his background, together with two faculty levels he didn’t earn. He made up a narrative about incomes a volleyball scholarship at Baruch College in New York City. He falsely claimed to have labored at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. And he made, then later recanted, claims of being a “proud American Jew” in a candidate’s survey, saying he “by no means claimed to be Jewish” however somewhat “Jew-ish.”

President Donald Trump, whom Santos has staunchly supported, issued a presidential commutation on Friday night exempting him from the rest of his sentence, all monetary penalties and any want for probation.

The president claimed Santos “has been horribly mistreated” in a Truth Social put up on Friday. “Therefore, I simply signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from jail, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote. “Good luck George, have an incredible life!”

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According to Santos’s lawyer, Joe Murray, the previous lawmaker was transferred into solitary confinement due to a menace to his life that was later deemed not viable by the FBI and the Bureau of Prisons’ investigative unit.

While in solitary confinement, Murray stated, Santos was unable to make use of the jail’s electronic mail system, had restricted visitation and name privileges and, as a result of he didn’t have entry to the commissary, needed to put on soiled undergarments from different inmates. Murray additionally alleged inmates in protecting custody are subjected to the identical situations as these punished for violent behaviour.

“I used to be very grateful for the efforts to guard my shopper from potential threats but it surely was on the level the place their methodology of ‘defending’ him within the SHU was additionally hurting him bodily and mentally,” Murray stated.

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In the interview Saturday, Santos claimed he was denied an inhaler for twenty-four hours whereas in isolation and stated he felt had been stored in solitary confinement longer than was obligatory. He additionally claimed that in his kitchen project, he was instructed to serve meals that had handed its “greatest by” date.

The Bureau of Prisons’ Office of Public Affairs stated the bureau was unable to answer a request for remark about its protecting custody practices and the situations at FCI Fairton due to the federal government shutdown.

Santos stated he spoke to Trump on Saturday evening and raised issues in regards to the jail’s situations.

“When I spoke to President Trump earlier immediately on the telephone, I used to be very clear that I wish to be concerned and assist jail reform and assist his administration obtain that in whichever method I can,” he stated.

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Beyond engaged on jail reform, Santos stated he has not dominated out a future run for workplace in New York, although he added that he doesn’t really feel a right away have to return to authorities service.

In the hours since his launch, Santos has returned to the video platform Cameo, the place public figures document customized messages for paying clients. As of Saturday night, Santos stated, he had 48 pending requests. Santos additionally stated he can be open to tv work, together with the celeb competitors “Dancing with the Stars.”

“I’ve not been invited, however I wouldn’t say no,” he stated.

Most of all, Santos stated he would merely like to maneuver on along with his life.

“I’m not good. And to my critics, I maintain no animosity. There will likely be no retribution tour,” Santos stated. “I ask and I urge folks to take a look at this for what it’s. To proceed to rehash the previous won’t change the long run. Changing the long run means what I do with my second likelihood. Give me the chance to take action. And most significantly, I want all of my critics nicely.”

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