Former New York GOP Rep. George Santos suggested he is considering paying back the victims of his fraud scheme “to make it right,” even though it is not required by his commutation.
Fox News anchor Sean Hannity interviewed Santos on Fox News’s Hannity on Monday, referring to himself as a former constituent of the congressman.
Hannity asked, “Even though you’re not compelled with this commutation to pay it back, do you think you should?”
Santos said, “I’ve put a lot of thought into that. I’ve spoken to my legal team. I think that the right thing to do is to explore a way to make it right.”
When Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft last year, he was ordered to pay $373,749 in restitution and a forfeiture payment of $205,002, in addition to serving a seven-year prison sentence. However, because President Donald Trump commuted his sentence, he is no longer mandated to do so.
According to Santos, 84% of that restitution was intended for the Republican National Committee.
“The merits of that [RNC donation] was to win a race, and I did,” Santos said.
Before going to jail, Santos continued to raise funds via the messaging app Cameo, on which he created greetings for those who paid for a video, and started a podcast.
SANTOS SAYS HE’S ‘VERY GRATEFUL’ FOR TRUMP COMMUTATION AND WANTS TO PURSUE PRISON REFORM
“We have a lot to process. I’ll look into, the best I can, the best efforts. Like I said, it’s about doing what is right,” Santos said.
Santos has teased a future in prison reform following his release from prison, which at times included solitary confinement.
