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Jake Halpern
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Amy Gaines McQuaid
Pushkin. Hey, it's Jake. Welcome back to Deep Cover. I'm in your feed today with an update about a story that we covered last summer. You might remember it. My producer, Amy Gaines. McQuaid and I did a deep dive into the world of George Santos, a former Republican congressman from New York who pled guilty to wire fraud and identity theft. I called up Amy because, well, there's been quite a development in the last week. Hey, Amy.
Jake Halpern
Hey, Jake. So I'll just cut to it. The news we're here to talk about. On Friday, President Trump commuted George Santos sentence, sending shockwaves through the political world.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
George Santos is the gift that keeps on giving.
Jake Halpern
I did not think we'd be here so many months after releasing this series talking about this, but here we are.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
Yeah. So just talk us through this. How did we get to this point?
Jake Halpern
So if you remember, Santos pled guilty to two charges, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. That was last summer, August 2024. I was actually in the courtroom for that plea hearing. And at the time, Santos told the judge, you know, I accept full responsibility for my actions. They set his sentencing for April. And at that time, he was actually sentenced to 87 months, a little over seven years. He was always going to face at least two years because of the identity theft charge that he pled to that carries a two year minimum. His lawyers had asked the judge if he could be sentenced to the minimum that two years. But the judge at sentencing didn't agree with that and felt that Santos deserved a sentence on the higher end of the guideline. So actually the guideline said 75 to 87, and the judge ultimately handed down the maximum. He reported to prison in July, and then three months later, he's released.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
Okay, so I know, like I heard this on Sunday. First of all, I immediately thought of you because I was like, what is Amy thinking? I mean, to me, it felt like a bombshell that came out of nowhere. But I'm wondering, the people that you spoke with who are close to this story, were they surprised by this?
Jake Halpern
Yeah, I've heard from a lot of folks that we talked to for the original series, and I think across the board there was a lot of shock and surprise. I called up Kathy Soriff, who, if you remember, was one of George Santos donors.
Kathy Sorriff
The only thing I can say is he was sentenced far too long for what he did, in my opinion. Were you expecting this to happen? No, it was a complete shock, you know, quite. I haven't been thinking about it, but it was like, what? You know, I guess people think that Trump is vengeful. I don't think he is vengeful. I think he wants to hold people accountable. And I think he is.
Mark Cisano
Actually.
Kathy Sorriff
Has a very soft and compassionate side to him. And I think he thought that. George, I could be completely wrong about this. I'm trying projecting what President Trump was thinking, but why are we going to finance. I mean, how much does it cost to keep a prisoner in prison for a year? And do we want to spend that on George?
Amy Gaines McQuaid
It's interesting to hear, like, Kathy's basically like a prison reform advocate. Did you have any sense that that was, like, part of her deal?
Jake Halpern
Kathy Sorriff, I would not characterize as a prison reform advocate in particular, Kathy was very careful with me to draw a distinction between violent and nonviolent offenders. I think that she has a much higher, harder line stance when it comes to violent offenders. And in this case, she doesn't think that George Santos is a real risk to the community.
Kathy Sorriff
Nonviolent criminals, you know, humiliation is a pretty potent punishment. So do you think that three months was an adequate sentence for what he pled to? I think that the time of it is not as significant as the experience that he probably had. I mean, you know, that's one reason why people don't want to be in jail. They get there and it's harsh.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
I have a lot of questions about Kathy, but I wonder if it's actually helpful to just take a step back here. President Trump, what has he said about why he commuted Santos's sentence?
Jake Halpern
So when the news broke, it was on. Where else? Truth Social. Friday night, President Trump had posted, quote, george Santos was somewhat of a rogue. That's in quotes.
Mark Cisano
But.
Jake Halpern
But there are many rogues throughout our country that aren't forced to serve seven years in prison. So you can see there the president kind of indicating he didn't necessarily agree with the sentence that had been handed down. He had also said at least Santos had the courage, conviction and intelligence to always vote Republican.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
What does that mean? Like, why is he calling out that Santos always voted Republican? I feel like with President Trump, there's often, like a subtext. Do you have a sense of what the subtext is there?
Jake Halpern
Yeah, I think the subtext in this case is pretty. It's a neon sign. It's. George Santos has been a vocal, consistent supporter of President Trump.
Mark Cisano
Early on, I had been waiting for this to happen. I think A lot of people had been. Santos himself had been kind of begging Trump for a commutation of pardon, just kind of any relief at all. And he'd been a big supporter of Trump for a long time, so this wasn't surprising.
Jake Halpern
When I heard the news, I gave a call to Mark Cisano. He's the author of the Fabulist, who we spoke to for the original series. His book is a deeply reported biography of Santos.
Mark Cisano
Trump had been pardoning or commuting a lot of people's sentences, so this wouldn't have been the craziest thing in the world. So I. And a lot of people had been waiting for it to happen, but the months dragged on, and nothing did. So kind of assumed that maybe Santos was going to stay in prison for at least a long time, a longer time than he spent. But, you know, as with everything with Santos, it's. You're surprised, but nothing, nothing can shock you.
Kathy Sorriff
I want to unpack that a bit. You had almost been expecting this, it sounds like.
Mark Cisano
Why is that? Well, Santos had been a big Trump supporter and booster for years, I mean, at least since 2015. And it was one of the few things that he was totally just kind of unchangeable about. Right. He would go to rallies, he would boost him on social media. He actually spoke on January 5, 2021, right before the January 6 Capitol riot. He continued sort of boosting Trump even after, you know, his fall from grace. He showed up at Trump's New Hampshire victory party, and then once he actually went to prison, he kept writing basically kind of op EDS for a small newspaper on Long Island. And in those op eds, he was sort of begging Trump for things. He'd let him out, help them out in some ways. So he kind of kept it up. And he'd been a sort of loyal Trump soldier in a way that, you know, others haven't been. So, you know, it was not so surprising, I guess, to see Trump react to that, to that sort of constant flattery and approval.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
It's interesting that Mark is like, I'm only surprised it didn't happen sooner. And Kathy's like, I'm surprised it happened at all.
Jake Halpern
Yeah, well, I think that Mark's beat is politics. And if you're paying attention, you've noticed that this is not the first act of clemency that has happened under the new Trump administration. I'm saying new, but it's been less than a year. You know, in that time, President Trump has pardoned more than 1600 people, which is pretty remarkable, unprecedented. For this early in a presidential term. You know, 1500 of those were people who were involved in the events of January 6th. So he's also commuted many sentences, and we should talk about that a little bit, because a pardon is different than a commutation.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
Yeah. So this was a commutation, right?
Jake Halpern
This was a commutation, not a pardon.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
So what is that like, in plain speak? What does that mean?
Jake Halpern
A pardon is a full. It basically wipes your slate clean. The crime is forgiven. A commutation just means we're wrapping up your time spent in incarceration. So George Santos was released from prison late Friday night after this commutation was announced. It doesn't change the fact that he was still charged with these crimes. He still pled guilty to these crimes, and he still served time for these crimes. And that will follow him for the rest of his life. This is something that actually Kathy Sorriff stressed to me when I talked to her.
Kathy Sorriff
He wasn't pardoned. His sentence was commuted. So he will have to live with the dishonor that he caused himself. That will not go away. And hopefully he will find some way to redeem himself by good works.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
Any sense for why President Trump would have opted to commute his sentence rather than just give him a pardon? Maybe that would have upset the party in some way that they could. It almost feels like it could be a compromise.
Jake Halpern
Well, and this was really the question that I had for Kathy, what we're talking about here, because Kathy Soref, she is a Republican and she is a big backer of President Trump.
Kathy Sorriff
I know you to be a vocal supporter of President Trump, but also someone who has no love lost for George Santos. So I'm just curious how you square.
Mark Cisano
Those two things in a moment like this.
Kathy Sorriff
Well, I don't really know. I don't know what Trump was thinking. I don't know other than to think that he thought the long prison sentence was unfair. And why are we. He's not a danger to society. His humiliation will carry with him for a long time, and that is quite a punishment. I didn't understand what benefit it would be. Certainly it's not a political benefit for Trump to pardon George Santos. George Santos isn't going to do a good darn thing for Trump. And by doing it, actually, I thought it might have been harmful. So I didn't understand the source, other than Trump thinking it just not fair that he had been sentenced really too harshly.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
I'm a little skeptical about. I mean, like. I mean, the question is a fair one, like why would he do this? I'm somewhat dubious this was just done out of a sense of justice. I think that doesn't ring true to me. I could think of a few reasons why this would be good for him to do. I mean, it reinforces the idea that if you're loyal to me, I will look out for you. Down the road. It's another day where he's in charge of the news cycle. It also casts further doubt on a justice system that he's run into before. But I always think that, like, Donald Trump is a really smart strategist about the way he does things. I don't think he does things just. He may do things on a whim, but it's following an instinct. And I'm just. I'm just wondering what you think his strategy was here or why he did this. Is it just like a. Is this just thank you for being loyal, and if you're loyal to me, no matter what you've done, you get redeemed, or do you think there's more to it than that?
Jake Halpern
I think that there's an argument to be made that Santos loyalty is a huge factor in why we're talking right now and why Santos has been released. I think the other factor that we have to discuss is that he was held in solitary confinement. And from what we know, it seems like that's something that caught the President's attention. You heard Mark reference earlier. George Santos has been writing this sort of regular column for a newspaper on Long island called the South Shore Press. You know, his most recent column came out just about a week ago, and he seems to be speaking to the President almost directly. He says, quote, I renew my plea to President Trump. Intervene. Help me escape this daily torment and let me return to my family. So this really, like, heartfelt plea for relief. You know, he talks about his experience in solitary confinement.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
Remind us why. Why is he in solitary confinement?
Jake Halpern
George Santos found himself in solitary confinement. From the reporting that's out there, it seems he was not placed in solitary for any disciplinary reasons. He was placed in solitary because of an actual threat to his life. And so sometimes they might segregate an inmate for their own safety. But what George Santos maintains is that the conditions that he was held in were far from humane. He asked for his inhaler, and it took him hours, if not days, to receive it. He had panic attacks. So, I mean, solitary confinement is a. Is a real thing that this country has to grapple with. There are over 40,000 estimated inmates being held in solitary at any Given time in this country, it is considered a form of torture according to UN Guidelines.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
Right.
Jake Halpern
And, you know, the psychological effects, you know, the actual conditions you're held in are one thing, but kind of what you carry with you after you leave is an entirely different conversation. This was clearly on the President's radar. Right. So in that initial Truth Social post, he called it out explicitly saying, quote, george has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and by all accounts has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a commutation releasing him from prison. Good luck, George. Have a great life.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
Hmm. I mean, it's interesting because, you know, if you imagine a world where George Santos was only sentenced to three months and he served his time and got out today, versus a storyline where George Santos had been sentenced to seven years, was being held in solitary confinement, and Donald Trump gives him this commutation and tells him good luck. I mean, it feels like for a man who likes dramatic storylines, it feels like a much more dramatic storyline. Plus, you've been kind of call it commutation, call it pardon, you've been blessed by President Trump, which is very meaningful in many circles in this country.
Jake Halpern
Oh, absolutely. I will say it's interesting. The story of George Santos remains really fascinating to me in its many evolutions because I think, you know, it's easy to dismiss him. You know, he's a con artist and why are we even still talking about this guy? But I think throughout this saga, you know, George Santos has been a really interesting window into the realities of these systems, of the criminal legal system. There are millions of people who interact with our court system and our prison system every day, but they are not famous. They do not have names that you recognize. But here we are talking about solitary confinement, talking about mandatory minimums, talking about what it means to have a felony on your record because it's in the news because of George Santos.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
We'll be right back.
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Jake Halpern
This is Alec Murdoch.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
I need police and an ambulance immediately.
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Amy Gaines McQuaid
Have we heard from from George since he's been released?
Jake Halpern
So George Santos posted on Saturday, the day after he was released, saying, quote, yesterday I was given something I never thought I'd have again. A true second chance at life. A chance to grow, to change, and to walk a better path. He goes on to say, my goal now is to turn my past into something meaningful, to help create a justice system that truly believes in rehabilitation and second chances. Yes, I am back, but I am back as a new man, ready to work and do good.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
I mean, what's so interesting about this to me is Santos is many things. Dumb is clearly not one of them. Whether he's sincere or there's a hustle here, remains to be seen. But I think that he what he does is he's picking up, he's using something that's real, which is his own experience. He's using something that's real, which is solitary confinement. It's like an organic storyline. It's just that given who this guy is, it's damn hard to take anything he says at face value. Let me ask you this, because this is what I'm also wondering about, is restitution. Right? So what about that? Like, is he still on the hook for that?
Jake Halpern
Yeah, it's a good question. So over the weekend, one of the US Pardon attorneys who handled the commutation actually tweeted out what appears to be the actual document that Trump signed. And it's in black and white, pretty clear language that this is an immediate commutation of his entire sentence, time served with no further fines, restitution, probation, supervised release, et cetera, et cetera. So it seems on paper, he is not on the hook for this. Santos appeared on CNN over the weekend, interviewed by Dana Bash, and she actually asked him this exact question. You were ordered to by the court to pay $370,000 in restitution to the people you defrauded. Will you still pay that back?
George Santos
Well, if you really say the people, I just want to be clear with your audience so that we're not misleading them. 85% of that really goes into the investment made into my campaign for polling and TV ads and literature by the National Republican Congressional Committee. The investment was made to win a race. I won that race. There was no fraud there. This is a case we argued with the prosecution, but they needed to inflate the numbers in order to make it a more appealing case for them in federal court. Instead of just going after the mishandling of finances, which, by the way, most members of Congress currently who are still serving in both parties who ever have had issues with FEC filings, they pay fines. Nobody actually goes to prison. So it's inequitable in its nature.
Jake Halpern
Well, this is about a fine. I mean, this is about paying money back. And whether you describe them as victims or just donors to the nrcc, what the court said is that they should get their money back. Will you work to try to do that?
George Santos
Well, look, I can. I can do my best to do whatever the law requires of me. So I don't know what that is. I've been out of prison for two days. I agree to come here to speak with you candidly and openly and not to obfuscate. If it's required of me by the law, yes, then, no, I will do whatever the law requires me to do.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
It's so interesting. He's not really answering the question. He's saying, well, I'll do what the law requires of Me. But as we understand it, the law is saying that he doesn't have to pay the money back. I would almost respect him more if he's like, hey, President Trump said he didn't have to pay it back. Why would I pay it back? You know, it's like. But no, it has to be. Well, I wasn't really taking from people. I was taking from, you know, these funds. As if that money was what, printed by the Republican National Party. Like those were. That's donor's money.
Jake Halpern
Yeah, that's somebody's money that he took. Look, this is another example of Santos being well versed in political spin.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
Yeah, absolutely. I wonder, I mean, do you have a sense for where you think. I mean, apparently he's going to become an outspoken voice for prison reform. Besides that, do you have a sense for where we might see him next?
Jake Halpern
Yes, I've also been thinking about that and I asked Mark Gisano, the journalist who has looked into Santos and his life more than anyone else, really, this exact question.
Kathy Sorriff
I guess the question now is, what.
Mark Cisano
Happens next with a guy like this? That's sort of the open question with Santos and sort of always has been people always wonder, was he going to change? Is this kind of the end with him or is he just going to move to another scam? Who knows with him? He sort of said different things at different times that he is repentant, that he isn't. I'll note, though, that he did reactivate his cameo account, so there's that. He's at least trying that again. I definitely don't think we've heard the last of him.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
The cameo account is the one where he gives, like, the birthday wishes.
Jake Halpern
Yes. You could pay George Santos. I'm curious, actually. I'll look. How much. How much the going rate is right now, but you could pay him to record a birthday message or.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
Yeah. What is the going rate?
Jake Halpern
Book a personal video. 150. Oh, it's a flash sale.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
150.
Jake Halpern
That's half off right now. We're catching it on a. On a flash sale.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
Oh, my goodness. Yeah, we're not seeing the last of this guy. My spidey sense tells me that in the not too distant future we'll be back because George Santos will have once again found his way back into the headlines. This episode was produced by Amy Gaines McQuaid and Isaac Carter. It was edited by Karen Shakurji. Our executive producer is Jacob Smith. Mastering by Jake Gorski. Original scoring and our theme were composed by Luis Guerra. Special thanks to Morgan Ratner, Owen Miller and Greta Cohn. I'm Jake Halpern.
Andrea Gunning
This is Andrea Gunning from Betrayal. I want to take a moment to talk about something that impacts how we feel every day. Our gut health. If you've been dealing with sluggish digestion, constant fatigue, brain fog, trouble losing weight or poor sleep, your gut may need some extra care. Introducing Bioma, a novel supplement that contains everything you need for a healthy gut. Enjoy comfortable digestion, boundless energy and even smoother weight management when following a healthy lifestyle. Just take two Bioma capsules each morning before breakfast and start feeling your best. Visit Byoma Health and use code BETRAYAL to get 15% off your first order.
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This is Alec Murdoch.
Amy Gaines McQuaid
I need police and an ambulance immediately.
Andrea Gunning
Murdoch Death in the Family Official Podcast is here. I'm joining Patricia Arquette, Jason Clark and the cast to uncover all things Murdoch family first. To unravel the story piece by piece was really surprising because you don't want to believe it. Murdoch Death in the Family Official Podcast Wednesdays and stream Murdoch Death in the Family on Hulu and Hulu on Disney for bundle subscribers. Terms apply.
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Podcast: Deep Cover
Host: Jake Halpern
Producers: Amy Gaines McQuaid & Isaac Carter
Release Date: October 24, 2025
This episode provides an urgent update on the George Santos saga, specifically focusing on the stunning news that former Republican Congressman George Santos has been released from prison after President Trump commuted his sentence. Host Jake Halpern and producer Amy Gaines McQuaid reflect on the impact of this sudden commutation, discuss reactions from key figures close to the story, and analyze the political and personal dimensions of Santos’s rapid fall and abrupt liberation.
“On Friday, President Trump commuted George Santos' sentence, sending shockwaves through the political world.”
Surprised by the commutation but expresses that Santos's original sentence was excessive.
“The only thing I can say is he was sentenced far too long for what he did, in my opinion... I guess people think that Trump is vengeful. I don't think he is vengeful. I think he wants to hold people accountable. And I think he is.” — Kathy Sorriff (05:49)
Draws sharp lines between violent and nonviolent offenders, believing humiliation is a potent punishment for the latter.
“Nonviolent criminals, you know, humiliation is a pretty potent punishment.” — Kathy Sorriff (07:14)
Trump’s statement explained (07:53–08:26):
Analysis from Mark Cisano (biographer) (08:46–10:53):
“He [Santos] had been a sort of loyal Trump soldier in a way that others haven't been. So… it was not so surprising, I guess, to see Trump react to that sort of constant flattery and approval.” — Mark Cisano (10:53)
Rapid and unprecedented Trump pardons/commutations (11:00–11:42):
“A pardon is a full… it basically wipes your slate clean. The crime is forgiven. A commutation just means we're wrapping up your time spent in incarceration... That will follow him for the rest of his life.”
“He will have to live with the dishonor that he caused himself. That will not go away. And hopefully he will find some way to redeem himself by good works.” — Kathy Sorriff (12:17)
Restorative Justice or Loyalty Payback?
“I'm somewhat dubious this was just done out of a sense of justice... It reinforces the idea that if you're loyal to me, I will look out for you... it also casts further doubt on a justice system that he's run into before.”
Jake points to solitary confinement as a catalyst (15:04–16:44):
“From what we know, it seems like that's something that caught the President's attention... Solitary confinement is a real thing that this country has to grapple with... it is considered a form of torture according to UN Guidelines.” — Jake Halpern (16:00–16:44)
Trump’s Truth Social statement on mistreatment (16:45–17:17):
“George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and by all accounts has been horribly mistreated. Therefore, I just signed a commutation releasing him from prison.” — (paraphrased from Trump’s post reiterated by Jake)
“Throughout this saga, you know, George Santos has been a really interesting window into the realities of these systems... But here we are talking about solitary confinement, talking about mandatory minimums, talking about what it means to have a felony on your record because it's in the news because of George Santos.” — Jake Halpern (18:02)
On Santos’s “second chance” (21:48):
“Yesterday I was given something I never thought I'd have again. A true second chance at life. A chance to grow, to change, and to walk a better path. My goal now is to turn my past into something meaningful, to help create a justice system that truly believes in rehabilitation and second chances. Yes, I am back, but I am back as a new man, ready to work and do good.” — George Santos, social media post read by Jake (21:48)
On financial restitution (23:10–25:27):
“I can do my best to do whatever the law requires of me. So I don't know what that is. I've been out of prison for two days. ... If it's required of me by the law, yes, then, no, I will do whatever the law requires me to do.” — George Santos, CNN interview (25:07)
Cynical note on Santos’s future
“I'll note, though, that he did reactivate his cameo account, so there's that. He's at least trying that again. I definitely don't think we've heard the last of him.” — Mark Cisano (26:34)
| Segment | Time | |-----------------------------------------------|---------------| | Intro & recapping Santos case | 03:00–04:09 | | Sentencing & prison term recap | 04:13–05:14 | | Donor Kathy Sorriff reaction | 05:49–07:42 | | Trump’s announcement & statement | 07:53–08:26 | | Mark Cisano on loyalty, political pattern | 09:01–10:53 | | Pardons vs. commutations explained | 11:37–12:17 | | Motivation speculation (loyalty, reform, PR) | 14:05–15:57 | | Solitary confinement details | 16:00–16:44 | | Solitary in Trump’s Truth Social post | 16:45–17:17 | | The saga’s larger meaning, legal reflection | 18:02–18:59 | | Santos’s “second chance” message after release| 21:48–22:26 | | Restitution issue, CNN interview | 23:10–25:27 | | Predicting Santos’s next act | 26:20–27:37 | | Cameo account “flash sale” segment | 27:11–27:37 |
The episode ends with speculation about Santos’s future, a recognition that narratives of redemption and hustle intertwine for someone with his history. Despite his stated intent to become a voice for prison reform, there is skepticism about his sincerity, and a sense that Santos will continue to find ways to insert himself into the news.
“Yeah, we're not seeing the last of this guy. My spidey sense tells me that in the not too distant future we'll be back because George Santos will have once again found his way back into the headlines.” — Amy Gaines McQuaid (27:37)