In a surprising twist of events, former U.S. Representative George Santos has emerged from behind bars, thanks to a clemency grant from President Donald Trump. Santos had been incarcerated for fraudulently exploiting his campaign donors, yet he claims to be unaffected by the uproar surrounding his early release.

In a candid interview with CNN, Santos expressed his belief that any action by President Trump would attract criticism. “I’m quite certain that even if President Trump had pardoned Jesus Christ himself, there would have been dissenters,” remarked Santos, reflecting on the backlash against his clemency.

Originally portraying himself as a savvy Wall Street executive to win his congressional seat, Santos was later convicted of fraud and identity theft. He began serving a seven-year sentence in July at a New Jersey prison. However, after just 84 days, Trump intervened, describing Santos as a “rogue” but arguing that the punishment was too severe, considering his Republican allegiance.

During his appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Santos shared insights gained during his brief imprisonment, noting that he had consumed “a very large slice of humble pie, if not the whole pie.” He conveyed a sense of humility, acknowledging the lessons learned from his time behind bars.

Santos took the opportunity to apologize to the constituents of his New York district, acknowledging his past behavior as reckless and chaotic. He confessed to deceiving donors and committing identity theft against 11 individuals, including members of his own family. This admission was part of his plea deal last year, leading to his initial imprisonment.

But when asked about fellow Republicans unhappy that Trump freed him so soon, Santos said other presidential acts of clemency had been worse, citing President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter, for gun and tax crimes.

“So pardon me if I’m not paying too much attention to the pearl-clutching of the outrage of my critics,” Santos said.

As part of his guilty plea, Santos had agreed to pay restitution of $373,750 and forfeiture of $205,003. But Trump’s clemency order appeared to clear him of paying any further fines or restitution.

Santos said he has been granted a second chance and intended to “make amends,” but when asked if he intended to pay back the campaign donors he had defrauded, he said only if he had to.

“If it’s required of me by the law, yes. If it’s not, then no,” Santos said.

Santos had appealed to Trump directly for help, citing his loyalty to the president’s agenda and to the Republican Party in a letter published Oct. 13 in The South Shore Press. But he said Sunday that he had no expectations and learned of his commutation from fellow inmates who saw the news on television.

Revelations that Santos invented much of his life story surfaced just weeks after he became the first openly gay Republican to elected to Congress in 2022.

Santos had said while campaigning that he was a successful business consultant with a sizable real estate portfolio. But he ultimately admitted to embellishing his biography. He had never graduated from Baruch College, where he had claimed to be a standout player on the Manhattan college’s volleyball team. He had never worked at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. He didn’t own property.

In truth, he struggling financially, had drifted through several jobs, including one for a company accused of running a Ponzi scheme, and even faced eviction.

After becoming just the sixth person to be expelled from Congress, Santos made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling personalized videos to the public on Cameo. He returned to the service Sunday.