GOP lawmaker punts on repaying donors after Trump gives him 'second chance': 'Do my best'

Disgraced former Republican lawmaker George Santos would not commit to repaying donors he stole money from during an interview on CNN on Sunday.

Santos was convicted in August 2025 of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his campaign donors by taking their credit card information and using it for personal expenses like rent and OnlyFans subscriptions, according to the Department of Justice. He was just three months into a more-than-seven-year prison sentence when President Donald Trump commuted his sentence.

"At least Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!" Trump wrote on Truth Social, announcing Santos' commutation. "Good luck George, have a great life!"

Santos discussed his commutation on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. When asked whether he would repay the nearly $600,000 in restitution to the donors he stole from, Santos seemed noncommittal.

"I can do my best to do whatever the law requires of me," Santos said. "So I don't know what that is."

He also thanked Trump for giving him a "second chance."

"I understand people want to make this into 'He's getting away with it.' I'm not getting away with it, I was the first person to ever go to federal prison for a civil violation," Santos said.

"I don't want to focus on trying to rehash the past and want to take the experience and do good and move on with the future," he added. "Repentance is an understatement. I have been dealt a second chance."