Santos won’t seek re-election after critical ethics report
Republican New York Representative George Santos has announced that he won’t seek re-election in 2024 following the release of a damning ethics report.
Mr Santos wrote on X that he wouldn’t be seeking “a second term in 2024 as my family deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time”.
The House Ethics Committee said in a statement on Thursday that Mr Santos “knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission; used campaign funds for personal purposes; engaged in fraudulent conduct in connection with RedStone Strategies LLC; and engaged in knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act as it relates to his Financial Disclosure (FD) Statements filed with the House”.
The report also examined Mr Santos’s use of Redstone Strategies, a limited liability corporation affiliated with him, and how at least $200,000 worth of money was transferred from its account to Mr Santos’s personal account. After one $50,000 transfer, Mr Santos paid down his credit card debt and made a $4,127.80 purchase at Hermes and smaller purchases at Only Fans and Sephora as well as for botox, meals, and parking.
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Santos was ‘ultimate beneficiary and knowing participant’ of campaign’s fraudulent reporting
Mr Santos began to come under serious scrutiny almost as soon as he flipped a district that includes parts of Queens and Long Island that had voted for President Joe Biden in 2020 as Republicans barely gained the majority in the US House of Representatives.
News reports shortly thereafter that he had fabricated multiple parts of his life story, including where he went to college, his employment history and even his ethnicity.
The report said that Mr Santos was the “ultimate beneficiary and knowing participant” of much of his campaign’s fraudulent reporting since they allowed him to meet benchmarks to receive national party support.
Eric Garcia16 November 2023 20:30
Santos behind ‘constant series of lies to his constituents, donors, and staff’
The House Ethics Committee launched its investigation into Mr Santos earlier this year to find whether he engaged in illegal activity during his 2022 congressional campaign.
In May, the committee expanded its investigation.
“He used his connections to high-value donors and other political campaigns to obtain additional funds for himself through fraudulent or otherwise questionable business dealings,” the report said. “And he sustained all of this through a constant series of lies to his constituents, donors, and staff about his background and experience.”
Eric Garcia16 November 2023 20:00
Santos slammed by fellow New York Republicans
Mr Santos, who has evaded two votes to oust him from the House, was severely criticised by his New York Republican colleagues.
“George Santos should end this farce and resign immediately,” Rep Mike Lawler told Semafor. “If he refuses, he must be removed from Congress. His conduct is not only unbecoming and embarrassing, it is criminal. He is unfit to serve and if he had any dignity, he would resign today.”
Fellow New York GOP Rep Nick LaLota told the outlet that Mr Santos “was never running for re-election” and noted that he thinks the legal and ethics investigations into him would end before election season.
“The question now is: Will he take a plea deal that includes resignation before November 28th when the House returns to session and can expel him?” he asked.
Gustaf Kilander16 November 2023 19:30
Santos could face post-Thanksgiving expulsion vote
The chair of the Ethics panel, GOP Rep Michael Guest, told CQ Roll Call that he was set to file a motion to expel Mr Santos this week, meaning that a vote on the matter may be held following Thanksgiving break.
The top Democrat on the panel, Rep Susan Wild, said, “I intend to vote yes on any privileged expulsion resolution … as the work of the Committee is now complete, and I am no longer obligated to maintain neutrality as a Member of the Ethics Committee,” according to HuffPost.
Gustaf Kilander16 November 2023 19:00
Santos ‘managed to cultivate a strong office culture rather quickly’
Gustaf Kilander16 November 2023 18:30
McCarthy said in January that it was ‘unfortunate’ that Biden has more power than Santos
Gustaf Kilander16 November 2023 18:15
Santos appears to have lied about cooperating with Ethics panel
Gustaf Kilander16 November 2023 18:00
Read Santos’s full statement
If there was a single ounce of ETHICS in the “Ethics committee”, they would have not released this biased report. The Committee went to extraordinary lengths to smear myself and my legal team about me not being forthcoming (My legal bills suggest otherwise).
It is a disgusting politicized smear that shows the depths of how low our federal government has sunk.
Everyone who participated in this grave miscarriage of Justice should all be ashamed of themselves. We the People desperately need an Article V Constitutional Convention.
We are quickly approaching $34 trillion dollars in debt, the government is continuously on the verge of a shutdown, our southern border is wide open, our current President is the head of an influence peddling crime family, and all this Congress wants to do is attack their political enemies with tit for tat unconstitutional censures, impeachments, expulsions and ethics investigations.
THE TIME IS NOW FOR THE STATES TO RISE UP AND COMMENCE AN ARTICLE V CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION!
I’ve come to expect vitriol like this from political opposition but not from the hallowed halls of public service.
I will remain steadfast in fighting for my rights and for defending my name in the face of adversity.
I am humbled yet again and reminded that I am human and I have flaws, but I will not stand by as I am stoned by those who have flaws themselves.
I will continue on my mission to serve my constituents up until I am allowed.
I will however NOT be seeking re-election for a second term in 2024 as my family deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time.
Public service life was never a goal or a dream, but I stepped up to the occasion when I felt my country needed it most. I will 100% continue to maintain my commitment to my conservative values in my remaining time in Congress.
George Santos
Gustaf Kilander16 November 2023 17:50
Santos GOP rival says he’s ‘finally taking a step in the right direction’
Kellen Curry, a Republican running for the GOP nomination in Mr Santos’s district, told The Independent: “George Santos is finally taking a step in the right direction, but our country is at a crossroads.”
“Our troops have been fired upon over 50 times since the Hamas attacks on Israel, our southern border is being overrun by illegal immigration with the help of terrorists, and our spending addiction continues to rob the next generation of prosperity and opportunity,” he added. “Today marks the beginning of a renewed focus on the issues that matter, instead of the distraction of the last 11 months. NY-3 constituents are calling for experienced, next generation leaders to serve in Congress who will fight to keep us safe, control spending, and bring people together around a shared vision of getting America back on track. I’m humbled to step forward to be that leader.”
Kelly Rissman16 November 2023 17:16