President Donald Trump said Friday that he had signed a commutation that would immediately release former New York Republican Representative George Santos from prison.

“George has been in solitary confinement for extended periods and by all indications has been horribly mistreated,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday. “Therefore, I have just signed a Commutation of Sentence, releasing George Santos from prison IMMEDIATELY. Best of luck, George, have a full life!”

Santos was sentenced to more than 7 years in federal prison this year after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He began serving his sentence in late July.

The 37-year-old New York representative served in the House of Representatives for less than a year before being expelled from Congress amid scandal in December 2023.

Even before taking the oath of office, Santos admitted to lying about key details of his life on the campaign trail. During his time in Congress, the Justice Department charged him with a variety of federal crimes, including fraud, theft, money laundering, and making false statements.

Trump’s decision to commute Santos’s sentence came after several friends and allies of the imprisoned former politician requested clemency, a senior White House official told NBC News late Friday.

Trump had also recently read Santos’s writings from jail, in which he described his living conditions, the official told NBC News.

In a complimentary letter published Monday by The South Shore Press, a Long Island local, Santos, directly requested a pardon from Trump.

“He has always been a man of second chances, a leader who believes in redemption and renewal,” Santos wrote. “I ask you now, from the bottom of my heart, to extend that same conviction to me.”