Staff Reports
The House Ethics Committee just dropped a major bombshell on freshman Republican Representative George Santos. The committee released a report recommending that the Department of Justice investigate Santos for his alleged unlawful activity. What did he do? Well, according to the report, Santos lied about his personal and professional experience during his campaign and failed to disclose important financial reports. Oops!
Now, the committee report didn’t explicitly call for Santos’s expulsion, but it did say that his conduct warrants “public condemnation.” And boy, did they mean it. The report accused Santos of knowingly filing false or incomplete reports, using campaign funds for personal use, and, wait for it, engaging in “knowing and willful violations” of the Ethics in Government Act. Yikes! It looks like the committee really raked him over the coals.
?SANTOS ETHICS REPORT IS OUT
Story w/ @cami_mondeaux https://t.co/B4qFaQMnVj
— Reese Gorman (@reesejgorman) November 16, 2023
But it doesn’t end there. The report claims that Santos sought to “fraudulently exploit” his campaign for personal financial gain. In other words, he used his campaign contributions like his own personal piggy bank. Talk about breaking the law! If this report is to be believed, Santos stole from his own campaign, deceived donors, and lied to his constituents. And the cherry on top? He allegedly used his connections to high-value donors and other politicians to get even more money through “fraudulent or otherwise questionable business dealings.” Um, excuse me, but isn’t anyone else seeing all these red flags?
Now, there have been two previous attempts to expel Santos from the House, but both failed. However, this latest report has reignited the calls for his expulsion. Some lawmakers, including fellow Republicans, argue that Santos is guilty of election fraud and should be kicked out of office. They say that he violated the public trust and lied to voters. One lawmaker even went as far as to say that Santos is a “complete fraud.” Ouch! These Republicans are not holding back.
But not everyone is on board with expulsion just yet. Some Republicans are cautious about removing Santos before his criminal trial in New York is over. They worry that it could set a dangerous precedent if they kick him out before he has his day in court. Plus, they point out that the GOP already has a slim majority in the House. If Santos is expelled and loses his competitive district, the party’s majority could shrink even further. Politics, am I right?
So, what’s next for Santos? Well, he didn’t respond to the committee’s attempts to reach him for comment. And it looks like the House Ethics Committee isn’t messing around. The chairman of the committee, Michael Guest, plans to file an expulsion resolution against Santos. Looks like the hammer is about to come down on this alleged fraudster. Stay tuned!
