President Donald Trump made "the wrong decision" by commuting the sentence of former GOP New York Rep. George Santos, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.
Malliotakis, who is also a New York Republican, said, "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. He defrauded the public and his voters."
Santos, who was released last week after Trump commuted his prison sentence, told Newsmax on Sunday that he is "truly repentant" for his past mistakes and hopes to use his second chance to help others rebuild their lives.
Santos admitted to stealing from political donors, using campaign funds for personal expenses, and lying about his finances while collecting unemployment benefits.
"I want to say sorry to anybody that I might have hurt, anybody I crossed paths with, the constituents of the 3rd District of New York, who I had no intention of hurting at all," Santos said.
He continued that "it was an honor of a lifetime to represent them in Congress, and to my voters and donors and supporters, friends and family, it's a profound sorry. And I hope that with this second chance, you will give me the opportunity to see what good will come from it."
Malliotakis said on "State of the Union" that Santos should 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," she said, adding that Santos' seven-year sentence was "harsh."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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