(NEW YORK) — Scandal-plagued former congressman George Santos reported to federal prison Friday to begin his more than seven-year sentence after pleading guilty to a series of fraudulent schemes after being convicted of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The ex-congressman did not speak with reporters as he entered the facility. However, in the days leading up to his incarceration, Santos had a lot to say.
On Wednesday, Santos posted a clip of Frank Sinatra singing a portion of “My Way,” beginning with the lyrics “…and now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain.”
He offered one final, emotional goodbye in an hour-and-a-half long spaces conversation on X Thursday evening.
Santos began the stream by addressing questions on whether he would receive a pardon, saying that only President Donald Trump has the answer.
“The only person that could answer that question is, you know, whoever the President of the United States is — in this case, President Donald Trump.”
At one point, over 800 people were on the call as several of his supporters calling on listeners to sign an effort launched prior to the call asking Trump to pardon Santos.
Santos advised listeners not to follow his example.
“I think that the importance here is for people to understand: make better choices, be smarter than me, that’s for sure,” Santos said.
“I’ve made a string of s— choices in my life and for that, I’m sorry. To those I’ve disappointed, to those I’ve let down, to those that I have caused irreparable damage even, I’m sorry,” Santos said.
The event saw a host of supporters bid goodbye to Santos, including Matt Gaetz’s wife Ginger Gaetz. He said he hosted the call because he had been “curled up in a ball … for the last week” and wanted to do “something normal.”
Santos repeatedly thanked fellow speakers and listeners for their support and, at several points, he became choked up as several friends started to cry during their remarks.
“I love you,” Santos said. “We built common ground through trust and transparency, and I wouldn’t have done it any other way.”
Santos, along with some supporters who chimed in, called his sentence unfair.
“Incarceration is not supposed to be a demonic torture or torturous process,” Santos said. “I think a lot of our sentencing in our country tends to be punitive and full of reprisal.”
Santos also criticized the broader criminal justice system.
“There’s something to be said about the prison industrial complex, by the way. They’re selling f—— Twinkies for $5. I mean, they have to be making banging profits,” he said. “I mean, I’m thinking maybe when I get out of prison, I open a prison.”
Santos joked about advice he had gotten about living behind bars, saying he had heard that finding the “biggest person” in prison and beating them up to establish his toughness was not a good idea.
Taking a more serious tone, Santos said he was hoping to teach civics inside the prison and planned to bring a standard white notepad, a Bible his grandmother gave him and a pocket constitution with him.
He also said he had not yet made a decision regarding whether he would keep his social media running throughout his sentence or delete his accounts, but had “spoken to some people who have voluntarily elected” to post on his behalf.
Santos promised to go into and come out of prison in style, saying “I’m surrendering in Ferragamo so I can walk out in Ferragamo.”
Santos said he had learned through the experience the need to be “unapologetically, 100% authentically yourself.”
“I would not change much of what I decided to do with my career, I would just change the how,” he said. “I’m every congressperson and politician’s nightmare because I set such a high standard for transparency and communication.”
Santos ended the call by calling on listeners to come together despite political differences.
“I hope you all keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing, which is keeping each other honest and engaging in very much needed discourse, because we are in a time in our life where we need to come closer as humans and not further,” he said.
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