On the same day a scathing House ethics report found "substantial evidence" Rep. George Santos may have broken federal criminal law, the congressman announced he would not seek re-election for a second term next year.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after the ethics report was released Thursday, Santos said in part, "I will continue on my mission to serve my constituents up until I am allowed. I will however NOT be seeking re-election for a second term in 2024 as my family deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time."
The report from the House ethics committee said there were "knowing and willful violations" of House ethics rules and the committee said it would refer "additional uncharged and unlawful conduct" allegations to the Department of Justice.
What is in the ethics report into George Santos ?
The committee report said Santos:
- "blatantly stole from his campaign"
- "deceived donors"
- "reported fictious loans"
- told a "constant series of lies" to constituents, donors and staff about his background and experience
The report said "Representative Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit" and details a list of suspicious campaign expenditures:
- more than $10,000 on fashion at Hermes and Ferragamo
- $1,400 at a medical spa that performs Botox treatments
- an $3,332.81 Airbnb expenditure listed as a "Hotel stay" when Santos' calendar said he was “off at [the] Hampton’s for the weekend”
- $2,281.52 at resorts in Atlantic City
- $1,029.30 to an esthetician connected with a spa in Rhinebeck, New York
- taxi and hotel charges in Las Vegas when he told his staff he was on his honeymoon
- a $200,000 cash transfer from a campaign organization to his personal bank account
- $800 in cash from a casino ATM
- smaller purchases at Sephora
- smaller purchases on "Only Fans," a website often used for adult content and pornography
Santos told the Federal Election Commission, there were "'systemic' errors and omissions within his campaign’s reports to the FEC."
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Santos has repeatedly denied the allegations against him. He has pushed back against any calls for him to resign, including from fellow members of the New York delegation. Earlier this month, the congressman survived a House vote to expel him with some members of Congress saying they wanted to wait until the release of the ethics committee report.
"If there was a single ounce of ETHICS in the 'Ethics committee', they would have not released this biased report. The Committee went to extraordinary lengths to smear myself and my legal team about me not being forthcoming (My legal bills suggest otherwise)," Santos wrote in his post.
In the post, Santos makes no mention of resigning from office and said, "I will 100% continue to maintain my commitment to my conservative values in my remaining time in Congress."
Rep. Dan Goldman, whose district includes part of New York City, said Thursday he plans to "file a motion to expel Santos from Congress once and for all" once Congress returns following the Thanksgiving break.
"If I were George Santos, I'd be much more worried about going to jail than I would about whether I remain in Congress," Goldman told NBC New York.
NBC New York talked with constituents of Santos on Long Island and many were glad to hear the news Santos was not running again for office.
"Well I wish he would run somewhere very far away because he makes me ill," said Eileen Silversmith of Westbury.
Elliott Grossman called Santos "a disgrace to Congress."
"I have no idea what he's done for the district, he's so busy fighting off what he's accused of that he hasn't had time to do anything for us," said Amy Adler of Jericho.
