Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) announced on Thursday he would not seek reelection after the release of a damning report by the House Ethics Committee alleging he may have violated the law by spending campaign funds on personal things.
Santos, who had been under fire from members of both parties after he was caught blatantly lying about his professional and work record during the 2022 election, ripped the bipartisan report as biased and incomplete.
According to Fox News, the chairman of the committee said he planned to move to expel Santos, accusing him of having “used campaign funds for personal purposes” and “engaged in fraudulent conduct,” among other allegations.
“Chairman Guest feels that the evidence uncovered in the Committee’s investigation is more than sufficient to warrant punishment and that the most appropriate punishment is expulsion,” Republican Mississippi Rep. Michael Guest’s personal office told Fox News on Thursday.
“So, separate from the committee process and his role as chairman, he plans to file an expulsion resolution during tomorrow’s 9:00 a.m. pro forma session.”
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 knew and willfully violated the Ethics in Government Act as it related to his Financial Disclosure (FD) Statements filed with the House,” the report added.
That includes $50,000 in campaign donations wired to the congressman’s personal account on Oct. 21, 2022, that was allegedly used, among other things, to “pay down personal credit card bills and other debt; make a $4,127.80 purchase at Hermes; and for smaller purchases at OnlyFans; Sephora; and for meals and for parking,” the report added.
Santos took to the X platform to rebuke it and to announce he wouldn’t seek reelection next year, putting the GOP’s already slim majority in jeopardy.
“If there was a single ounce of ETHICS in the ‘Ethics committee’, they would have not released this biased report,” he wrote. “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,” he continued before saying the country needs 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,” he added.
“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,” he noted further..
“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,” Santos said.
