Current:Home > NewsRep. George Santos says he expects to be kicked out of Congress as expulsion vote looms-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Rep. George Santos says he expects to be kicked out of Congress as expulsion vote looms
View Date:2024-12-23 20:02:47
New York (AP) — Rep. George Santos has said he expects to be expelled from Congress following a scathing report by the House Ethics Committee that found substantial evidence of lawbreaking by the New York Republican.
In a defiant speech Friday sprinkled with taunts and obscenities aimed at his congressional colleagues, Santos insisted he was “not going anywhere.” But he acknowledged that his time as a member of Congress, at least, may soon be coming to an end.
“I know I’m going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor,” he said Friday night during a conversation on X Spaces. “I’ve done the math over and over, and it doesn’t look really good.”
The comments came one week after the Republican chairman of the House Ethics Committee, Michael Guest, introduced a resolution to expel Santos once the body returns from Thanksgiving break.
While Santos has survived two expulsion votes, many of his colleagues who formerly opposed the effort now say they support it, citing the findings of the committee’s monthslong investigation into a wide range of alleged misconduct committed by Santos.
The report found Santos used campaign funds for personal purposes, such as purchases at luxury retailers and adult content websites, then caused the campaign to file false or incomplete reports.
“Representative Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit,” investigators wrote. They noted that he did not cooperate with the report and repeatedly “evaded” straightforward requests for information.
On Friday, Santos said he did not want to address the specifics of the report, which he claimed were “slanderous” and “designed to force me out of my seat.” Any defense of his conduct, he said, could be used against him in the ongoing criminal case brought by federal prosecutors.
Instead, Santos struck a contemplative tone during the three-hour livestream, tracing his trajectory from Republican “it girl” to “the Mary Magdalene of the United States Congress.” And he lashed out at his congressional colleagues, accusing them of misconduct – such as voting while drunk – that he said was far worse than anything he’d done.
“They all act like they’re in ivory towers with white pointy hats and they’re untouchable,” he said. “Within the ranks of United States Congress there’s felons galore, there’s people with all sorts of shystie backgrounds.”
His decision not to seek reelection, he said, was not because of external pressure, but due to his frustration with the “sheer arrogance” of his colleagues.
“These people need to understand it’s done when I say it’s done, when I want it to be done, not when they want it to be done,” he added. “That’s kind of where we are there.”
veryGood! (54)
Related
- Round 2 in the Trump-vs-Mexico matchup looks ominous for Mexico
- 'Normalize the discussion around periods': Jessica Biel announces upcoming children's book
- Books on Main feels like you're reading inside a tree house in Wisconsin: See inside
- 'God help her': Dramatic video shows zookeepers escape silverback gorilla in Fort Worth
- Stop smartphone distractions by creating a focus mode: Video tutorial
- Spanish utility Iberdrola offers to buy remaining shares to take 100% ownership of Avangrid
- Zendaya's Bold Fashion Moment Almost Distracted Us From Her New Bob Haircut
- Alaska whaling village teen pleads not guilty to 16 felony counts in shooting that left 2 dead
- Digital Finance Research Institute Introduce
- Patrick Mahomes sent a congratulatory text. That's the power of Xavier Worthy's combine run
Ranking
- Voters in California city reject measure allowing noncitizens to vote in local races
- As the Presidential Election Looms, John Kerry Reckons With the Country’s Climate Past and Future
- Officials say a Kansas girl was beaten so badly, her heart ruptured. Her father now faces prison
- Hissing alligator that charged Georgia deputy spotted on drone video
- Stop What You're Doing—Moo Deng Just Dropped Her First Single
- Baltimore Ravens DT Justin Madubuike agrees to four-year, $98M contract extension
- Utah man serenaded by Dolly Parton in final wish dies of colon cancer at 48
- 2024 NFL free agency: Predicting which teams top available players might join
Recommendation
-
Florida State can't afford to fire Mike Norvell -- and can't afford to keep him
-
Montana Rep. Rosendale drops US House reelection bid, citing rumors and death threat
-
Senate to vote on first government funding package to avoid shutdown
-
'Normalize the discussion around periods': Jessica Biel announces upcoming children's book
-
Pennsylvania House Republicans pick new floor leader after failing to regain majority
-
Virginia governor signs 64 bills into law, vetoes 8 others as legislative session winds down
-
Want to invest in Taylor Swift and Beyoncé? Now you can.
-
Peek inside the gift bags for Oscar nominees in 2024, valued at $178,000