George Santos expresses remorse to judge, cites free speech for attacking DOJ on social media
Disgraced former Rep. George Santos sent a lengthy letter to the judge set to sentence him on Friday as prosecutors seek a seven year sentence.
Last week, a filing by the Justice Department described Santos, 36, as "unrepentant for his crimes," pointing to various social media posts he recently made. One such post said "No matter how hard the DOJ comes for me, they are mad because they will NEVER break my spirit." Another post criticized the DOJ for indicting him but not "the cabal of pedophiles running around in every power structure in the world including the US Government." In another post, Santos labeled himself a "scapegoat."
The DOJ said those posts show Santos is approaching his sentencing "with belligerence and an insatiable appetite for 'likes,' blaming his situation on everyone except himself." The Justice Department argued that the posts are "hardly an expression of 'genuine remorse.'"
"Put plainly, Santos is not genuinely remorseful, despite accepting responsibility as part of his allocution. If he were, his actions would be different," the Justice Department wrote in its filing.
Santos responds to the government
In his letter, Santos attempts to offer a rebuttal to the DOJ filing.
Santos pointed to his August guilty plea, and statements he made at the time in court expressing regret and accepting responsibility for duping voters by fabricating his life story, as well as deceiving donors and committing identity theft, which ultimately led him to be expelled from the House.
"Those words were not a scripted contrition; they were the culmination of months of bruising self-examination. This case has cost me my congressional seat, my reputation, my livelihood, and, most painful of all, the confidence of people who believed in me. Every sunrise since that plea has carried the same realization: I did this, me. I am responsible," Santos wrote. "But saying I'm sorry doesn't require me to sit quietly while these prosecutors try to drop an anvil on my head."
Santos made the argument that he can both admit his guilt, be genuinely remorseful, and also attack the Justice Department for seeking a lengthy sentence. He said he's still entitled to free speech, and accused the government of "overreach" by seeking a lengthy sentence.
"My posts may be colorful but they don't justify a sentence triple the norm, and the government should be ashamed of itself for even seeking such a high sentence," Santos wrote.
Santos claims in his letter he has "made sincere efforts to rebuild his life and earn an honest living."
"So, I am guilty, I am remorseful, but I'm still outraged that my constitutionally protected speech—speech objecting to the government's ridiculous sentencing demand and selective attribution of leadership—has been repurposed as a sword against me. My guilty plea didn't require me to check my First-Amendment rights at the courthouse door; that freedom is the keel that keeps our republic steady when political seas get rough," Santos wrote.
