George Santos Thinks There Are a Large Number of People Out There Who Would Vote for Him for a Second Time

Earlier this month, the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Congressman George Santos, a probe that will look into everything from his long list of biographical lies to possible campaign finance violations to an allegation of sexual misconduct that he denies. While it remains to be seen whether the freshman representative will be booted from Congress, or punished in some other way, one thing that does seem clear is that he is most likely not getting a second term, given that a comical number of his constituents want him to resign. On the other hand, at least one person seems to believe the guy’s got a shot.

Obviously, that person is himself George Santos, who on Tuesday filed paperwork to formally declare his 2024 candidacy. Asked last week by CNN if he’d planned to go run again, the New York Republican responded, “Maybe.” Last month, the outlet reported that “after previously signaling to Republicans he wouldn’t seek reelection,” Santos had been telling people he was considering a second term and that he would “ultimately be cleared of all wrongdoing.” In addition to the House ethics probe, the congressman is also reportedly under investigation by, among others, the New York attorney general’s office, the Nassau district attorney’s office, the Queens district attorney’s office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI is reportedly looking into allegations that Santos ghosted a homeless veteran after raising thousands of dollars intended to pay for a life-saving surgery for the man’s service dog, a story Santos has insisted is “fake.”

Speaking of fakes, we assume that, in addition to the above, the House panel will be looking at Santos’s false claims that:

We’re guessing they’ll also want to find out more about the charges against him in Brazil—which center on a crime that he initially admitted to before claiming to have never broken the law—as well as ones against him in a case involving Amish dog breeders. (Those charges were later dropped, but an attorney who helped him fight the charges has said she no longer buys his story.) Oh, and the questions surrounding the $705,000 he personally loaned his 2022 campaign, despite, in 2020, disclosing that he made $55,000 and had no significant assets. (In seemingly related news, in the Tuesday filing declaring his candidacy, Santos said, per CNN, “that he does not anticipate expending his personal funds on a reelection bid.”)

Speaking to Newsday on Tuesday, Nassau County Republican Party chairman Joseph Cairo said Santos “will not receive the Nassau GOP’s endorsement for reelection in 2024,” adding: “If he decides to run, we will oppose and beat him.”