Nobel Prize Laureate, Purple Heart Recipient George Santos Indicted On Federal Charges
Oy vey!
It’s been quite the week for “law and order” Republicans. Tuesday, not long after a jury found Donald Trump liable for sexual battery, we learned that federal prosecutors criminally charged famed Broadway producer Rep. George Santos. Turns out serving in Congress is not how you keep a low profile when you’re a serial liar and con artist.
Santos is expected to appear in federal court in New York’s Eastern District as early as today. The indictment is sealed, so the exact charges he’s facing are unclear. However, Santos has been accused of multiple offenses, including campaign finance violations, credit card fraud, stealing puppies from the Amish, and swindling a disabled veteran out of money for puppy surgery. Puppies just aren’t safe around this guy.
(UPDATE: Santos was formally charged with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. That’s a lot.)
Reading this CNN article about Santos's indictment, it seems like his entire staff is skipping town. You can't blame them.
A spokeswoman for Santos, Naysa Woomer, would not respond to shouted questions from reporters Tuesday afternoon and abruptly departed the congressman’s DC office with her backpack when asked about the federal charges against him. Prior to her departure from the office, CNN witnessed three staffers for Santos abruptly depart with their bags. They wouldn’t talk when pressed for comment.
PREVIOUSLY:
George Santos Is (Maybe) Running For Re-Election. Please Give Him Money, If You Are Dumb!
Was George Santos The Dashing ATM Robber Gentleman Bandit?
George Santos Accused Of Scamming Amish Out Of Puppies. Seriously.
Mitt Romney: George Santos Should Sit Down, Shut Up, Leave Congress
Thank You, George Santos, For Reminding Me I Willingly Saw 'Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark'
Santos flipped the seat Democrat Tom Suozzi vacated last November (the equivalent of 100 years ago in Santos stories). He defeated his Democratic opponent Robert Zimmerman by about 20,000 votes, but a month later, the New York Times revealed that Santos had fabricated almost his entire biography. As lie after lie was exposed, it appeared as if the only authentic thing about Santos was his fashion sense, and that was hardly a point of pride.
Ludicrously claiming his lies were simply "embellishments," Santos joined the House of Representatives with no apparent shame. That would normally make him a good fit for the MAGA caucus, but even Republicans have had enough of him. He's proven a distraction from their disreputable agenda.
“I reiterate my call for George Santos to step down,” Rep. Mike Lawler from New York said in a statement. Lawler also flipped a Democratic-held seat but will struggle to hold onto it next year, especially since he'll have to run as himself. He can't just make up a new identity, Santos-style.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who represents Staten Island and southern Brooklyn, told CNN, "I'm not surprised [about the indictment]. I understand this is where it was headed." She added, "I would love to see someone new run because I can tell you that we will hold that seat and so the sooner Santos leaves, the sooner we can get someone in there that is not a liar."
Aim high, Congresswoman.
Rep. French Hill in Arkansas took this bold moral stance: “I do believe that if a member of Congress is charged with a federal crime they should resign.” Yes, Congress should have the same workplace standards as a McDonald’s.
Rep. Kelly Armstrong from North Dakota thinks on a strictly political level, it's just not "helpful to any of us" to have Santos in Congress. She said he's "innocent until proven guilty," of course, but "if he asked my advice, I would just ask the question: 'How can you serve your constituents?'" Honestly, most Republicans couldn't directly answer that question.
Although many Democrats have said that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy should remove Santos immediately, several Republicans, including Rep. Don Bacon from Nebraska, said they should first see what the charges are and even wait to act until Santos is actually convicted. "Obviously, it looks bad," Bacon told Axios.
McCarthy compared Santos to former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned last year after he was convicted of several felonies. However, it's not clear Santos would resign voluntarily even if convicted, but McCarthy could probably muster enough votes to expel him. Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro didn't mince words on the subject: "The day we no longer have to discuss George Santos as a member of Congress will be a good day for America."
Follow Stephen Robinson on Twitter if it still exists.
Catch SER on his new podcast, The Play Typer Guy.
Did you know SER has his own YouTube Channel? Well, now you do, so go subscribe right now!
Click the widget to keep your Wonkette ad-free and feisty.
abruptly departed the congressman’s DC office with her backpack when asked about the federal charges against him. Prior to her departure from the office, CNN witnessed three staffers for Santos abruptly depart with their bags.
They can run, but they cannot hide, as Uncle Sam sees them when they’re sleeping even, through the use of spy microwaves
Pst. Guys. Minor thing, but Kelly Armstrong is a dude.