Santos: 'I Know I'm Going to Get Expelled'

Unapologetic congressman lashes out against his colleagues on Capitol Hill
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 26, 2023 7:32 AM CST
Santos: 'I Know I'm Going to Get Expelled'
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., talks to reporters as House Republicans hold a caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023.   (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

George Santos said he expects to be expelled from Congress following a scathing report by the House Ethics Committee that found substantial evidence of lawbreaking by the New York Republican. In a defiant speech sprinkled with taunts and obscenities aimed at his congressional colleagues, Santos insisted he was "not going anywhere." But he acknowledged that his time as a member of Congress, at least, may soon be coming to an end. "I know I'm going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor," he said Friday night during a conversation on X Spaces, per the AP. "I've done the math over and over, and it doesn't look really good."

The comments came one week after the Republican chairman of the House Ethics Committee, Michael Guest, introduced a resolution to expel Santos once the body returns from Thanksgiving break. While Santos has survived two expulsion votes, many of his colleagues who formerly opposed the effort now say they support it, citing the findings of the committee's monthslong investigation into a wide range of alleged misconduct by Santos. The report found Santos used campaign funds for personal purposes, such as purchases at luxury retailers and adult content websites, then caused the campaign to file false or incomplete reports.

On Friday, Santos said he did not want to address the specifics of the report, which he claimed were "slanderous." Any defense of his conduct, he said, could be used against him in the ongoing criminal case brought by federal prosecutors. Instead, Santos struck a contemplative tone during the three-hour livestream, tracing his trajectory from Republican "it girl" to "the Mary Magdalene of the United States Congress." And he lashed out at his congressional colleagues, accusing them of misconduct—such as voting while drunk—that he said was worse than anything he'd done. "They all act like they're in ivory towers with white pointy hats and they're untouchable," he said. "Within the ranks of United States Congress there's felons galore." (Santos already has said he will not seek reelection.)

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