George Santos insisted he would “absolutely” run for Congress again even if his colleagues voted to expel him.
The New York Republican and serial liar claimed to CNN that he could win both the primaries and the general election, and that voters don’t care about his background or resume, much of which was fabricated.
“Nobody picked me because I played volleyball or not. No one chose me because I graduated or not,” he said, referring to the lie he told about graduating from Baruch University and being a star on the volleyball team.
“People elected me because I said I would come here to fight the swamp, I said I would come here to lower inflation, create more jobs and make life more affordable,” Santos said in an interview Sunday will be broadcast in full. .
This week, a resolution to impeach Santos, launched by his fellow Republican colleagues from New York, failed in the House of Representatives.
George Santos insisted he would ‘absolutely’ run for Congress again even if his colleagues voted to expel him
The New York Republican and serial liar claimed to CNN that he could win both the primaries and the general election, and that voters don’t care about his background or resume, much of which was fabricated.
The scandal-plagued Santos, 35, continues to face an investigation into allegations of theft and fraud by the House Ethics Committee, which will report its findings in two weeks. He could then be deported.
More Democrats voted to keep Santos than Republicans voted to get rid of him: 24 Republicans voted to oust Santos, while 31 Democrats, including top GOP Democrat Jamie Raskin, crossed party lines and voted to remove the New York Republican not to drive away.
Four Republicans and fifteen Democrats voted “present” on the measure.
They said they wanted to wait until there was a conviction to impeach him, although Republicans in New York suggested there were likely political purposes at play. For Democrats, the fact that Santos is in Congress is a hindrance to the Republican Party. For the Republicans, Santos is one more vote in their narrow majority of four votes in the House of Representatives.
This week, a resolution to impeach Santos, launched by his fellow Republican colleagues from New York, failed in the House of Representatives
He faces 23 crimes, including bank fraud, credit card fraud, aggravated identity theft and falsifying records.
Santos recently pleaded not guilty to a slew of theft and fraud charges.
One case involves allegations that he embezzled cash from his company and conspired with his former treasurer to raise funds by falsifying donations.
Santos, who embellished large parts of his resume during his run for Congress, has denied all allegations.
He had already pleaded not guilty to the earlier batch of charges accusing him of lying to Congress about his wealth, applying for and receiving unemployment benefits even though he had a job, and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses such as designer clothing .
Santos has been released on bail pending his trial.
He has denied any serious wrongdoing and blamed irregularities in his government filings on his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, who he claims committed “rogue actions.”
However, the former treasurer, who pleaded guilty to fraud, claims she helped Santos deceive Republican party officials into supporting his 2022 run through fake Federal Election Commission documents.
Those filings made him appear richer than he actually was by listing an imaginary loan of $500,000, she claims.
During his successful run for office in 2022, Santos was strengthened by an uplifting life story that later turned out to be full of fabrications.
Among other things, he never worked for the major Wall Street investment firms where he claimed to have worked.
He misled people about having Jewish ancestry and is accused of siphoning money he raised for a veteran’s sick service dog for himself.