Rep. George Santos remains in his seat despite facing a vote for expulsion, as the House rejected a resolution targeting him. Santos asserted his refusal to resign despite allegations against him. CBS News’ Nikole Killion reports from Washington, D.C.
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A letter New York Rep. George Santos sent to colleagues in the House of Representatives thanking them for not expelling him was copy edited and returned by Democratic Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin, who had a little fun at his conservative counterpart’s expense.
“I am writing to express my gratitude to you for standing up for the principals [sic] of due process and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty,” the GOP Rep. Santos’ thank-you note began.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Rep. George Santos (R-NY) walks back to his office after debate on the House floor on a resolution to expel him from Congress on Wednesday. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Raskin circled “principals” and inserted the correct spelling of that word in a copy of the note obtained by Politico.
It was one of several corrections Raskin made to Santos’ poorly written note before writing a few words of advice to his embattled colleague.
“I appreciate your note and only wish someone had proofread it first,” Raskin wrote. “Meantime, you should apologize to the people of New York for all of your lies and deceit.”
Throughout his successful campaign to represent New York’s third district, Santos fabricated stories about his past including schools he attended, jobs he held and sports he played.
Raskin, who voted against expelling Santos because of the precedent that would set, finished his response to the GOP lawmaker by writing “PS: It’s not shameful to resign.”
A vote to boot Santos from the Long Island-based seat he lied ad nauseum to win in November 2022 came up short Wednesday, with many of his colleagues choosing to let an ongoing ethics investigation run its course before removing an elected official.
The disgraced 35-year-old freshman congressman, also known as Anthony Devolder, further faces 23 criminal charges including wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft. He’s pleaded not guilty.
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was apparently grateful enough that Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) voted against removing him from Congress that he sent the Democrat a thank-you note.
But he probably won’t be sending any more of them based on Raskin’s response.
Raskin, a longtime constitutional law professor and attorney, was one of 31 Democrats who voted against expelling Santos from Congress, despite the Republican being indicted on federal charges. Raskin said that doing so would be “a terrible precedent to set” since Santos “has not been criminally convicted yet of the offenses cited in the resolution, nor has he been found guilty of ethics offenses in the House internal process.”
On Friday, Santos sent letters thanking Raskin and the other members of Congress who voted against his expulsion for standing up “for the principals [sic] of due process and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.”
But if Santos thought Raskin’s vote meant he was in the Democrat’s good graces, he was sorely mistaken.
First of all, Raskin made a point of marking up the letter, pointing out the mistakes and writing at the bottom that he wished “someone had proofread it first.”
He also offered some personal advice to Santos in the margin: “It’s not shameful to resign.”
You can see Santos’ letter and Raskin’s remarks below courtesy of Axios’ Andrew Solender.
Rep. Jamie Raskin marked up George Santos’ letter thanking him for voting not to expel him from Congress: “P.S. It’s not shameful to resign-” pic.twitter.com/Mybjw7oKZM
As of Friday afternoon, Santos hadn’t responded to Raskin’s corrected version of his thank-you note, but don’t expect him to take the Maryland Democrat’s career advice.
Rep. George Santos Friday vowed to win reelection despite being exposed as a serial liar, a raft of federal criminal charges filed against him and almost being expelled from Congress.
The controversial Long Island Republican told CNN that he would put his critics on both sides of the aisle to shame by winning a second term in 2024.
“No one elected me because I played volleyball or not,” he said. “Nobody knew my biography…who voted for me.”
Santos insisted that Long Island voters would stand by him and his conservative message despite his controversy-courting ways.
“People elected me because I said I’d come here to fight the swamp, I’d come here to lower inflation, create more jobs, make life more affordable, and the commitment to America,” he said.
The measure, introduced by some of his fellow vulnerable first-term Republican lawmakers, lost 179-213, failing to win a majority let alone the two-thirds vote needed to oust him.
Many Republicans and even some Democrats were reluctant to take a historic action against Santos before he is convicted or pleads guilty to a crime.
Five New York GOP lawmakers are urging their Republican colleagues to vote to expel embattled Rep. George Santos from the House of Representatives. CBS News correspondent Meg Oliver walks through the expulsion process.
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Rep. George Santos Wednesday faced a possible vote to expel him from the House of Representatives for what some of his colleagues call a “question of right and wrong,” although a last-minute statement from the Ethics Committee could throw a wrench in that plan.
A handful of fellow GOP lawmakers sent a letter to colleagues calling it a moral issue to oust the Queens/Long Island lawmaker over accusations he is a “con man” and serial liar who is facing a mushrooming federal fraud trial.
The letter was signed by first-term New York Republican lawmakers Rep. Tony D’Esposito, Rep. Nick Lalota, Rep. Mike Lawler, Rep. Marc Molinaro and Rep. Brandon Williams.
“This issue is not a political one, but a moral one,” the lawmakers wrote. “Plain and simple – this is a question of right and wrong.”
All the lawmakers represent districts that voted for President Biden in 2020, putting them in political peril in 2024.
The letter also rejects the argument that expelling Santos before he is convicted of a crime would set a dangerous precedent.
“If a candidate for Congress lies about everything about himself to get their votes … House Members will expel the fraudster and give voters a timely opportunity to have proper representation,” the letter said.
U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) is pictured at the U.S. Capitol on October 26, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The push to expel Santos needs a two-thirds vote of all House members. That means nearly 80 Republicans would have to join all Democrats to oust him.
The expulsion hit a potential roadblock late Tuesday when the House ethics committee unexpectedly issued a highly unusual statement saying that it would give members an unspecified update on its probe into Santos later this month.
The statement could provide ammunition to Republican leaders hoping to stall any vote on expelling Santos for as long as possible.
Johnson sought to tie the question of expelling Santos to the narrow Republican edge in the House: “We have no margin for error.”
But the five endangered Republicans who want to expel Santos pushed back against that argument: “Congress must … ensure accountability for those who have taken advantage of the American people – regardless of political party.”
Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., left, and Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., speak about a motion to remove Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
He says he’s innocent of all charges and vows to fight to stay in Congress and run for reelection despite the local Nassau County Republican Party opposing such a run.
Fellow Republicans from suburban New York districts fear Santos could drag down all of them as Democrats use him as a poster boy for GOP corruption.
But it remains to be seen if they have the political mettle to follow through on the expulsion effort.
D’Esposito and fellow Republican critics of Santos launched a similar effort to expel him in the spring.
Washington — The House Ethics Committee said Tuesday it will announce its “next course of action” in its investigation into embattled Rep. George Santos by Nov. 17.
The update from committee leaders comes ahead of a possible floor vote on a resolution to expel the New York Republican from Congress as federal charges against him accumulate.
House Ethics chairman Michael Guest of Mississippi and the panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Susan Wild of Pennsylvania, said investigators have contacted about 40 witnesses, reviewed more than 170,000 pages of documents and authorized 37 subpoenas. They said the investigation has taken “countless hours” and involved “a significant amount” of resources.
Santos has pleaded not guilty to 23 federal charges that accuse him of stealing his campaign donors’ identities and racking up thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on their credit cards, falsifying campaign finance reports, money laundering and other charges. He has also defied repeated calls from Republicans and Democrats for his resignation.
The latest round of charges prompted some of his Republican colleagues in New York to fast-track the consideration of a resolution to expel Santos. The resolution could get a vote as soon as Wednesday.
But the Ethics Committee announcement could be used as an excuse for Republicans to delay a vote, giving vulnerable members cover from having to go on the record with their position on whether Santos should keep his seat. Republicans control only a nine-seat majority in the House, which means they can only afford to lose four Republicans and still pass a bill if all Democrats are voting against the measure.
Under the Constitution, expulsion requires a two-thirds vote in favor, meaning nearly 80 Republicans would need to vote with all Democrats to expel Santos.
House Republicans blocked a Democratic attempt to expel Santos in May, instead voting to refer the matter to the Ethics Committee, which they said would decide Santos’ fate.
Making fun of the headlines today, so you don’t have to
The news, even that about pilots on magic mushrooms, doesn’t need to be complicated or confusing; that’s what any new release from Microsoft is for. And, as in the case with anything from Microsoft, to keep the news from worrying our pretty little heads over, remember something new and equally indecipherable will come out soon:
Really all you need to do is follow one simple rule: barely pay attention and jump to conclusions. So, here are some headlines today and my first thoughts:
Flying high on magic mushrooms.
The pilot on Alaskan Airways flight that shut down the engines was on magic mushrooms
I’m shocked, shocked he could get anything to eat on a flight.
‘Cursed’ Ted Cruz shows up at Astros game and you can guess what happened
Would’ve gotten away with it, but they came back for a free refill.
President Biden calls for assault weapon ban and other measures to curb gun violence
Hey, we should at least change its name from an AR-15 to an AR-19, so Matt Gaetz won’t be interested it in.
Pennsylvania trio bought a $100K abandoned school and turned it into a packed 31-unit apartment complex
Instead of eviction, they’re sent to detention …
Britney Spears reveals she lived in Orlando with Justin Timberlake in the early 2000s
George Santos: Me, too.
Taylor Swift to be joined by Travis Kelce during the international leg of her ‘Eras’ tour
Wondering, if Taylor Swift did a tour of only songs about old boyfriends, would it be called the ‘Errors’ tour?
RIP Richard Roundtree
They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother. Shut your mouth. God speed.
‘Sponge bombs’ are Israel’s new secret weapon to block Hamas tunnels
That would certainly be ‘sponge’ worthy …
Iceland’s prime minister joins thousands of women on strike
Now, that’s cold …
Larry Elder drops out of the race for President
… Surprising people that he was in the race for President.
Only 2 of the 8 House Speaker candidates voted to certify Biden’s win
The others were just certifiable.
Bulldog ‘thinks she’s a cow’ and the video evidence is priceless
Owners decide not to tell her because they need the milk.
Trump claims he doesn’t know who gave Fauci presidential award. It was him
… Trump: I never met me. Maybe I got myself coffee once. And, besides, I never liked me anyway …
Paul Lander is not sure which he is proudest of — winning the Noble Peace Prize or sending Congolese gynecologist Dr. Denis Mukwege to accept it on his behalf, bringing to light the plight of African women in war-torn countries. In his non-daydreaming hours, Paul has written for Weekly Humorist, National Lampoon, American Bystander, Huff Post Comedy, McSweeney’s, Bombeck Writers Workshop Blog and the Humor Times, written and/or produced for multiple TV shows and written standup material that’s been performed on Maher, The Daily Show, Colbert, Kimmel, etc. Now, on to Paul’s time-commanding Special Forces in Khandahar… (See all of Paul’s “Ripping the Headlines Today” columns here.)
On Friday morning, congressman and serial liarGeorge Santos pleaded not guilty to 23 criminal counts, including conspiracy, identity theft, and credit card fraud. Judge Joanna Seybert set a trial date of September 9, 2024, and, should he be convicted, the GOP lawmaker may face many, many years in prison. But well before that? He might actually be booted from Congress once and for all—if Republicans decide even they don’t want to be associated with the guy any longer. Which, obviously, is a very big “if.”
On Thursday, Representative Anthony D’Esposito, a fellow New York Republican who represents a neighboring district, introduced a resolution to kick Santos out of the House, with a floor vote expected as early as next week. In announcing the legislation, D’Esposito cited Santos’s many lies about his biography—including his connection to the Holocaust, 9/11, and the Pulse nightclub shooting—as well as the crimes he’s been accused of committing, which, according to D’Esposito, demonstrate he is “not fit to serve his constituents as a United States representative.”
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The resolution was cosponsored by Representatives Nick LaLota, Michael Lawler, Marc Molinaro, and Brandon Williams. In a statement earlier this month, LaLota said: “George Santos belongs in federal prison, not in the halls of Congress. Since December, I have called on him to resign. While I would have preferred the Ethics Committee to deliver its findings any time in the last 147 days since it was referred this case, expulsion is now the necessary next step.”
Of course, in order to actually send Santos packing, the resolution must receive a two-thirds majority, meaning every Democrat would need to vote to expel along with, most crucially, dozens of Republicans. And, unfortunately, while most reasonable people would probably agree that Santos should’ve been kicked out of Congress a long time ago, it’s not clear that the House GOP—which is famously willing to put up with all manner of bad behavior and have had months to deal with Santos (and chose not to)—is going to grow a collective conscience by next week.
One seemingly big sign that George Anthony Devolder Santos probably needn’t clear out his office just yet? The fact that new House Speaker Mike Johnson does not exactly appear enthused about giving him the boot. And by “not exactly enthused,” we mean he basically told Sean Hannity last night that Republicans can’t kick out Santos because it would shrink their already tiny majority.
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Is Santos an accused con man who, according to the indictment, allegedly ripped off donors, and is still in the habit of making the absolute most dubious claims to reporters, like that his niece was kidnapped by Chinese communists? Sure! But, alas, Republicans still need his vote.
Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana was a vocal supporter of Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The Onion asked House Republicans why they unanimously selected an election denier as their leader, and this is what they said.
Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS)
“Our two-party system of government works best when one party accepts election results and the other doesn’t.”
Rep. George Santos (R-NY)
Rep. George Santos (R-NY)
“Lord knows I’ve been asking my colleagues to overlook some shit.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)
“Why would I abandon the strategy that got me this far?”
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX)
“As the representative of a grossly gerrymandered district, I kind of forgot elections were a thing.”
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX)
“It seems like he never recovered from his parents’ divorce, so I thought the speakership might cheer him up.”
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA)
“That’s not fair. A lot of my colleagues voted for me because of how much I hate gays.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY)
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY)
“If America didn’t want us empowering election deniers they would have voted the right way and not forced our hand.”
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
“Because I’m going to be raking in seven figures lobbying for Wal-Mart by next year so who gives a fuck.”
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ)
“Anything’s better than that cuck Paul Gosar taking charge.”
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH)
“He said I could use the speaker’s office when he goes home for the night.”
Rep. Greg Pence (R-IN)
“He had the little ‘R’ next to his name.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO)
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO)
“How are we supposed to deny the results of the next election if we don’t have a speaker?”
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA)
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA)
“My entire existence is centered around not making Donald Trump mad.”
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC)
“We need to make Mr. Trump feel good. I mean, look at him: He’s mad all the time. Like, all the time! Don’t you just want to do something nice for a big ol’ grinch like that?”
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC)
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC)
“The beautiful thing about elections is that they’re subjective, like a work of art. They’re not determined by who had the most votes, but by which candidate spoke most eloquently to your heart.”
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)
“At the end of the day, we all just want what’s best for our wealthiest constituents.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL)
“Because we’re laying groundwork to steal the next election. Was that not clear?”
U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded not guilty on Friday to revised charges accusing him of several frauds, including making tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on credit cards belonging to some of his campaign donors.
The New York Republican appeared at a courthouse on Long Island to enter a plea to the new allegations. He had already pleaded not guilty to other charges, first filed in May, accusing him of lying to Congress about his wealth, applying for and receiving unemployment benefits, even though he had a job, and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses like designer clothing.
The court appearance came the morning after some of Santos’ Republican colleagues from New York launched an effort to expel him from Congress.
Santos’ attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf and a tentative court date of Sept. 9, 2024, was set.
Santos has been free on bail while he awaits trial. He has denied any serious wrongdoing and blamed irregularities in his government regulatory filings on his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, who he claims “went rogue.”
Marks in turn has implicated Santos. She told a judge when she recently pleaded guilty to a fraud conspiracy charge that she had helped Santos trick Republican party officials into supporting his run for office in 2022 through bogus Federal Election Committee filings that made him look richer than he really was, partly by listing an imaginary $500,000 loan that had supposedly come from his personal wealth.
Santos has continued to represent his New York district in Congress since he was charged, rejecting calls for his resignation from several fellow New York Republicans.
U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who represents a congressional district next to the one that elected Santos, introduced a resolution Thursday calling for Santos to be expelled from the House, saying he wasn’t fit to serve his constituents. He was joined by four other New York Republicans, U.S. Reps. Nick LaLota, Michael Lawler, Marc Molinaro and Brandon Williams.
Santos posted a cryptic note on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying, “Everything has an end in life,” but later added three points of clarification.
“1. I have not cleared out my office. 2. I’m not resigning. 3. I’m entitled to due process and not a predetermined outcome as some are seeking,” he wrote.
He has previously said he intends to run for reelection next year, though he could face a lengthy prison term if convicted.
During his successful 2022 run for office, Santos was buoyed by an uplifting life story that was later revealed to be rife with fabrications. Among other things, he never worked for the major Wall Street investment firms where he claimed to have been employed, didn’t go to the college where he claimed to have been a star volleyball player, and misled people about having Jewish heritage.
While Santos hasn’t faced any criminal charges related to the lies he told the public, he does face allegations that he propped up his image as having made a fortune in the investing world by submitting a false financial disclosure to the U.S. House.
Congressman George Santos can’t stop, won’t stop lying.
Earlier this month, the representative from New York added 10 criminal counts to the 13 he was originally charged with in May, with federal prosecutors alleging he stole donor identities, used their credit cards to make more than $44,000 in charges, and wired some of the money to his own personal bank account and campaign coffers. Santos is facing the very real prospect of prison time—if convicted, a minimum of two years for aggravated identity theft and a maximum of 20 years for the other counts—and the equally real prospect of losing his seat in the House. That is, if he’s not booted by his own colleagues first.
This is obviously a lot to handle, but is Santos allowing the stress of it all to stop him from doing what he loves, i.e., telling completely absurd lies for sport? No, he is not!
Santos, speaking to The New York Times, claimed he had a “story that nobody talks about,” that his niece was kidnapped, likely in retaliation for his public comments about the Chinese Communist Party. “You think it was China?” reporter Grace Ashford, trying to nail him down, asked. “Look, I don’t want to go into like, conspiracy theory,” he said. “But you know, if the shoe fits, right?”
According to Ashford, she subsequently got in touch with a high-ranking member of law enforcement, who told her that the matter had been looked into—and that there was no evidence of any kidnapping, period, or, really, any connection to the Chinese Communist Party. “We found nothing at all to suggest it’s true,” the official told Ashford. “I’d lean into, ‘he made it up.’”
It’s those lies (and all the others), plus the actual criminal allegations (which he insists he did not commit) that have led a number of his GOP colleagues to announce they’ll be introducing a resolution to expel him from the House. If that doesn’t work? As Politico reported on Tuesday, between Republicans and Democrats, there are approximately 30 candidates gunning for his seat. That’s right, folks: He’s still running!
John Oliver didn’t buy Rep. George Santos’ (R-N.Y.) reason for not backing Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) in the House speaker race.
Santos moaned to reporters last week that Scalise hadn’t responded to his multiple requests for guidance, slamming it as a “dereliction of duty.”
“Is he snubbing you?” one journalist asked Santos.
“I don’t know. I don’t care quite frankly,” the congressman snapped back, before leaving the scene.
“Are you sure about that? Because it really seems like it’s because Scalise snubbed you,” Oliver mocked Santos on Sunday’s episode of “Last Week Tonight” in a video that Raw Story shared online.
“Honestly, Santos saying, ‘I don’t care,’ in a tone that makes it clear he absolutely cares might be the most transparent lie that he’s ever told which is saying something,” he added.
Oliver listed just some of the fabrications of Santos, who is now supporting Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for the position.
Santos faces a 23-count indictment on allegations he embezzled money from his campaign, lied to Congress, and used donors’ credit cards to rack up unauthorized charges.
“For George Santos, an almost clinically chaotic man, to decide that you don’t have fundamental leadership skills is truly damning,” added Oliver.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted from the speaker role almost two weeks ago. Scalise last week won a secret ballot to become the GOP nominee but withdrew within 24 hours after realizing he wouldn’t have a majority.
On Friday, the GOP selected Donald Trump-backed Jordan as its candidate, but it’s currently unclear if he will obtain a majority either.
For Oliver’s main segment, he examined food safety. He opened the show talking about the war between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that rules the Gaza Strip.
According to a new indictment, embattled Rep. George Santos (R-NY) stole the identities of campaign donors and used their credit cards to ring up tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges. What do you think?
“Stealing from wealthy Republican donors is actually pretty progressive of him.”
Jake Hobbs • Code Developer
This Week’s Most Viral News: October 13, 2023
“I always assume every politician I donate to owns me from then on.”
With everything going on in the world, you might have forgotten that there’s a Republican representative in Congress—let’s call him George Santos—who made upapproximately 97% ofhis biography on the campaign trail and was charged with 13 federal counts in May, including wire fraud, money laundering, false statements to the House of Representatives, and stealing public funds. But in fact, he’s still very much around and on Tuesday, and was hit with 10 new criminal counts that are somehow even wilder than the original ones.
In the new indictment, prosecutors allege the first-term congressman from New York stole donor identities, used their credit cards to make more than $44,000 in charges, and wired some of the money to both his own personal bank account and campaign coffers. In addition, the government has accused Santos of falsely claiming to the Federal Elections Commission that he’d loaned his campaign $500,000 when he hadn’t loaned it anything and in fact had less than $8,000 in the bank. “As alleged, Santos is charged with stealing people’s identities and making charges on his own donors’ credit cards without their authorization, lying to the FEC and, by extension, the public about the financial state of his campaign,” US attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.
Not surprisingly, given how he’s approached previous allegations against him, Santos has denied everything, telling reporters: “I will fight this to prove my innocence. So yeah, I’m pretty much denying every last bit of charges.” He also seemingly tried to blame everything he’s been accused of on former campaign treasurer Nancy Marks, who pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy last week. “I had no control over specifically campaign finances. I’ve made this abundantly clear,” he said. “I paid somebody, and by the way, according to the news—you guys, some of you people in the news reported—overpaid somebody, who’s put me in, at this point, in an array of trouble.”
Incredibly, Santos confirmed that he is “still running for reelection,” though if it’s up to a group of New York Republicans, the guy will be long gone before any ballots are cast. On Wednesday, GOP representative Anthony D’Espositoannounced on X that he’ll be “introducing an expulsion resolution to rid the People’s House of fraudster George Santos,” telling reporters Santos is a “stain” on Congress and the state of New York. Fellow Republican Nick LaLota, who is cosponsoring the resolution (along with Mike Lawler, Marc Molinaro, Nick Langworthy, and Brandon Williams) described Santos in similar terms, calling him an “immoral” and “untrustworthy” person, and adding, “The sooner he’s gone, the better.”
Responding to the move to boot him from Washington, Santos said of his fellow Republicans: “If they want to be judge, jury, and arbitrator of the whole goddamn thing let them do it. They just want to silence the people of the 3rd congressional district.”
Congressman George Santos is vehemently denying new allegations of credit card fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy that were brought in a 23-count superseding indictment Tuesday.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday morning, Santos, a New York Republican, reiterated what he told CBS News Tuesday night — that he will fight the charges “until the bitter end.”
He walked through several of the counts against him, including explosive allegations that he had made unauthorized charges on his donors’ credit cards to support his campaign. Federal prosecutors say in one instance, Santos racked up $15,800 in charges on a campaign contributor’s credit card.
Santos claimed he did not know who these donors are and is working to determine their identities. Asked by CBS News if he plans to make them whole once he learns their identities, he replied, “Well, I mean, me making them whole means I am assuming guilt, right? So, I have no intention of going out of my way.”
“What infuriates me the most, because these are the people who made it possible for me to be here,” Santos explained. “Why would I want to hurt the same people who went out of their way to get me here?”
“It wouldn’t make sense,” he added. “It’s like biting the hand that feeds you, right? So, it doesn’t compute for me, it doesn’t work for me that way.”
Santos claimed that he had people on retainer to make sure “none of these shenanigans were happening” and would investigate some of his vendors and contractors and “pursue them on a later day” to try to recoup any misused funds. He acknowledged “an absolute systematic dereliction of duty across my entire campaign.”
But Santos also continued to heap blame on the ex-treasurer of his campaign, Nancy Marks, who pleaded guilty last Thursday to conspiracy to defraud, admitting she fraudulently reported hundreds of thousands in fake loans that Santos had claimed he made to his campaign. And she admitted that she and Santos had added nonexistent donations from his friends and family in order to falsely inflate his campaign’s fundraising totals to qualify for help from a Republican national party committee.
The New York congressman also called charges of lying to the Federal Election Commission “bull****.”
“I didn’t even know what the hell the FEC was,” he said. “To this date, I don’t know what their system looks like, other than going on Google.”
Asked if the buck stops with him, Santos demurred. “The buck stops with me is an exaggerated term, especially when you’re a candidate, right,” he said. “I’m not an experienced politician.”
“I’m getting sick and tired of now everything is thrown at me, as if I was sitting there making all these — how can I say — nefarious shady sh**. But the answer is no, I did not do any of it,” Santos said.
He has no plans to resign and said he would resist any calls to expel him: “They can try to expel me, but I pity the fools that go ahead and do that.”
As Republicans gather to try to elect a new speaker just over a week after Rep. Kevin McCarthy, of California, was removed, Santos said he plans to support Rep. Jim Jordan and plans to meet with him next week.
U.S. Rep. George Santos stole the identities of donors to his campaign and then used their credit cards to ring up tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges, according to a new indictment filed Tuesday.
He then wired some of the money to his own personal bank account, prosecutors said, while using the rest to inflate his campaign coffers.
The 23-count indictment replaces one filed in May against the New York Republican charging him with embezzling money from his campaign and lying to Congress about his wealth, among other offenses.
In the updated indictment, prosecutors accuse Santos of charging more than $44,000 to his campaign over a period of months using cards belonging to contributors without their knowledge. In one case, he charged $12,000 to a contributor’s credit card and transferred the “vast majority” of that money into his personal bank account, prosecutors said.
Santos is also accused of falsely reporting to the Federal Elections Commission that he had loaned his campaign $500,000 when he actually hadn’t given anything and had less than $8,000 in the bank. The fake loan was an attempt to convince Republican Party officials that he was a serious candidate, worth their financial support, the indictment said.
“As alleged, Santos is charged with stealing people’s identities and making charges on his own donors’ credit cards without their authorization, lying to the FEC and, by extension, the public about the financial state of his campaign,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement.
Santos came out of a two-hour Republican conference at the U.S Capitol and told reporters he had no comment on the superseding indictment. “I was in conference like everyone else, without my phone, so I have nothing to say,” he said. He has previously maintained his innocence, claiming he is the victim of a “witch hunt.”
The new charges deepen the legal peril for Santos, who likely faces a lengthy prison term if convicted. So far, he has resisted all calls to resign, insisting he intends to run for reelection next year.
Santos’ personal and professional biography as a wealthy businessman began to unravel soon after winning election to represent parts of Long Island and Queens last year, revealing a tangled web of deception.
In addition to lying to voters — about his distinguished Wall Street background, Jewish heritage, academic and athletic achievements, animal rescue work, real estate holdings and more — Santos is accused of carrying out numerous schemes meant to enrich himself and mislead his donors.
He was initially arrested in May on a 13-count federal indictment, which charged him with using funds earmarked for campaign expenses on designer clothes and other personal expenses and improperly obtaining unemployment benefits meant for Americans who lost work because of the pandemic.
Free on bail while awaiting trial, Santos has described his litany of lies as victimless embellishments, while blaming some of his financial irregularities on his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, who he claims “went rogue.”
Last week, Marks, a longtime Long Island political bookkeeper, pleaded guilty to a fraud conspiracy charge, telling a judge she helped her former boss hoodwink prospective donors and Republican party officials by submitting bogus campaign finance reports.
Tuesday’s indictment said Marks and Santos were involved in the same scheme to fake a $500,000 campaign loan in order to meet a benchmark that would unlock additional support from a Republican Party committee. Santos has now also been charged with recording fake donations from at least 10 people, all his or Marks’ relatives, as part of the same effort to make the campaign look like it hit those fundraising goals.
Santos was not initially charged in the criminal complaint against Marks, but was identified in court papers as a “co-conspirator.”
The new indictment alleges a multi-part fraud by Santos, who allegedly duped both his donors and his family members.
In one instance, Santos allegedly swiped the credit card information of one of his contributors, who had already donated $5,800 to the campaign, to give himself an additional $15,800 in payments, the indictment said. Because the unauthorized charges exceeded contribution limits under federal law, Santos listed the additional payments as coming from his own unwitting relatives, prosecutors allege.
The credit card fraud scheme began in December 2021, prosecutors said, shortly after Santos failed to qualify for a Republican Party program that would have provided financial and logistical support to his second congressional campaign.
In text messages to Marks at the time, he described himself as “lost and desperate,” prosecutors said.
Financial questions have continued to swirl around Santos, who claimed to be rich but spent much of his adulthood bouncing between low-paying jobs and unemployment, while fending off eviction cases and two separatecriminal charges relating to his use of bad checks.
A separate fundraiser for Santos, Sam Miele, was also previously indicted on federal charges that he impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide while soliciting contributions for the Republican’s campaign.
Prosecutors said Miele, 27, impersonated the former chief of staff to GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who at the time was the House minority leader, by setting up dummy email addresses that resembled the staffer’s name.
Miele’s attorney, Kevin Marino, previously predicted his client would be exonerated at trial.
Washington — Embattled New York Rep. George Santos was indicted on new federal charges on Tuesday in a superseding indictment — including conspiracy, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and credit card fraud — just days after his former campaign treasurer pleaded guilty and admitted to much of the conduct, according to court documents.
Prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York newly alleged that Santos and ex-campaign treasurer Nancy Marks submitted false financial reports to the Federal Election Commission that inflated the campaign’s fundraising numbers in an effort to qualify for certain perks, benefits, and support from Republican Party leaders.
The 10 new charges included in the superseding indictment unsealed Tuesday also include fresh allegations that Santos used individuals’ personal credit card information to make unauthorized charges in support of his political campaign. The victims, according to the charges, were previous donors to the campaign who had provided their personal information when contributing funds to Santos.
In one instance, the court documents unsealed Tuesday reveal Santos allegedly racked up $15,800 in charges on a contributor’s credit card, a sum far higher than federal campaign laws permit. That donor “did not know of or authorize charges exceeding such limits,” prosecutors said.
Santos pleaded not guilty earlier this year to a slew of charges from an original indictment that included accusations that he devised an alleged scheme to defraud prospective supporters of his 2022 congressional campaign. Prosecutors alleged he used solicited campaign donations on personal expenses including luxury designer clothes, credit card and car payments, and payments on personal debts.
The congressman is set to appear in federal court on October 27, where he will likely be arraigned on the new charges against him. Representatives for Santos’ office did not respond to CBS News’ request for comment. Santos’ attorney, Joseph Murray, declined to comment.
Investigators alleged that Santos, Marks, and others were aware in 2021 of a $250,000 fundraising threshold that the campaign had to meet to qualify for Republican Party backing.
“We’re going to do this a little differently. I got it,” Santos allegedly said in a text message responding to questions about the funding qualification, court documents reveal, and subsequently hatched a plan with Marks to falsely claim that 10 donors, including some of his family members, contributed thousands of dollars to his campaign when in fact, they had not.
Those false donations, according to the superseding indictment, were then allegedly included on a Federal Election Commission year-end report. Santos and Marks, the new charging documents alleged, “knew that none of these reported contributions were true.”
The pair also allegedly lied about a loan they said Santos had provided to his campaign in an effort to bolster the campaign’s prospects heading into the election. In April 2022, according to the superseding indictment, the Santos campaign published fake fundraising totals and reported to both national party officials and the FEC that Santos had loaned his campaign $500,000. Prosecutors say Santos “had less than $8,000 in his personal and business bank accounts” at the time.
The alleged scheme, according to prosecutors, was carried out in an effort to make Santos’ campaign “appear more financially sound than it was.”
Last week, Marks pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, which included much of the new alleged conduct charge against Santos.
While it is unclear from court documents whether the plea agreement Marks entered requires her to cooperate with prosecutors, her attorney said outside the courthouse last week that she would testify in Santos’ prosecution if subpoenaed.
Santos, a freshman congressman who represents New York’s 3rd Congressional District, has been dogged by allegations that he inflated his resume and lied about his past experience to bolster his election chances in his 2022 political campaign. He has admitted that he “embellished” his resume. He has spent much of his tenure in Congress haunted by questions about his education and professional experience, as well as his finances and campaign spending.
