The more lies from New York Rep. George Santos come to light and the more Republicans continue asking him to resign, the more defiant he becomes. Thursday, when asked by reporters yet again if he intends to give up his seat, Santos claimed he would resign—offering an odd caveat, of course.
“If 142 people ask for me to resign, I’ll resign,” Santos told the throng of reporters who were chasing him down the hall.
Several dozen Republican lawmakers in his home state have said unequivocally they felt “duped” by the congressman and want him out as soon as possible. Even House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he wouldn’t put him on any high-level committees, implying that he’s a national threat to security.
RELATED STORY: George Santos audacious amid calls from New York Republicans for his resignation
Santos later clarified that he meant to say “142,000 voters”—the number of people who voted for him.
Thursday, McCarthy flipped and said that “voters have elected George Santos” and implied the case was now in the hands of an ethics committee but added that “he's got a long way to go to earn trust.”
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Santos has apologized to anyone who has been “disappointed by resume embellishments” but has denied committing any crimes, CNBC reports.
A complaint was filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission, accusing Santos of a plethora of campaign finance violations, The Washington Post reports. Filed by the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, the complaint could launch an investigation by the federal regulator.
CNBC reported Monday that during the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, a member of Santos’ campaign team had a plan to dupe donors by impersonating Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s chief of staff, Dan Meyer.
The Santos staffer’s name was actually Sam Miele, according to CNBC.
Santos is also embroiled in an investigation by the Nassau County, New York, district attorney’s office and authorities in Brazil involving a fraud case dating back to 2008.
But as Daily Kos’ Kerry Eleveld succinctly wrote Wednesday, the GOP does not want to lose another House seat.
“The reason Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his cronies would much rather chew glass followed by a saltwater gargle than aid the ouster of their own disgraced member is simple—they cannot afford to lose even one more seat,” Eleveld writes.
“It’s a simple numbers game for leadership right now,” according to CNN.
Thursday, it came to light that the Brazilian media was finding even more dirt on Santos.
“Santos’ lies in Brazil are still coming to light, with a television show now reporting that Santos used multiple different names and nationalities on dating apps in the country. While Santos can legitimately claim two nationalities—Brazilian and U.S.—there’s no credible evidence that he’s Russian, which he also claimed,” Daily Kos’ Laura Clawson writes.
Santos may have to face more than just an ethics committee; he could also face the Federal Election Commission. According to reporting by The New York Times, a records review found documents showing he may have broken a few finance rules.
A group by the name of RedStone Strategies raised $800,000 for Santos’ campaign and was hoping to raise $700,000 more, the Times reports. One donor gave $25,000 to Redstone, but what remains murky is where that donation money went.
The Times reports that RedStone Strategies never registered itself as a political group, and groups like these are required to register with the FEC and disclose donors.
According to The Daily Beast, Santos’ Devolder Organization formed an entity in Florida by the name of RedStone Strategies, and the Rise NY PAC paid $8,000 to a “Redstone Strategy Group” located in Boulder, Colorado. But when The Daily Beast attempted to reach out to RedStone and ask about the Rise NY PAC donation, they were told there were no payments received by that name.
Christian Hilland, an FEC spokesman, told the Times, “I don’t see a record by a committee of that name registered with the F.E.C., and our regulations would be if a political group raises more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing a federal election, they would be required to register with the F.E.C. within 10 days.”
In 2021, Santos appeared on The Right View and audaciously said that “accountability only matters if you are a Republican.” Mighty hypocritical coming from someone people can’t trust any more than a witness to alien abductions—and no one should be surprised if Santos claims that on his resume next.
Stay tuned. This is very unlikely to be the end of the Santos saga.
Happy New Year! Daily Kos’ Joan McCarter is on the show today to talk about the wild garbage fire that was the Republican speaker of the House vote. Kerry and Markos also break down what this onionskin-thin conservative majority can and cannot do in the coming year, as well as what the Democratic representatives can do to make Kevin McCarthy’s life just that much tougher.