(ConservativeJournal.org) – Representative George Santos revealed he won’t seek re-election in 2024 immediately after the House Ethics Committee released a report about Santos’ alleged wrongdoing. Santos initially claimed he wouldn’t drop out of a re-election bid despite the criminal allegations against him, even if Congress voted to expel him.
Santos announced his intention to avoid a re-election campaign after the House Ethics Committee’s report detailed “substantial wrongdoing” by the disgraced representative. According to a statement from the committee, the investigative subcommittee unanimously found that Santos committed many crimes while holding public office.
Among the crimes Santos allegedly committed are filing false campaign reports, fraud, and using campaign finances for personal purposes, among others. Santos announced his decision not to seek re-election just two hours after the House Ethics Committee released its report. Santos’ attorney claims the report isn’t valid and is a “hit piece” but failed to comment on the federal cases involving Santos.
Santos faces multiple federal charges, including conspiracy, wire fraud, and identity theft. Santos maintained his innocence in the criminal cases against him and pleaded not guilty to each of the charges against him. Although Santos faces multiple criminal charges, his decision to avoid another term in Congress is unrelated, according to the representative.
According to Santos, he is avoiding a re-election campaign due to the press scrutiny surrounding his family. Santos claims that mainstream media outlets are causing harm to his family due to the national coverage of the charges against him. Santos also claimed that the people criticizing him and accusing him of criminality are “flawed” and shouldn’t be so critical of his actions due to their own.
Santos intends to finish his current term but might be expelled from Congress early, as House Ethics Chairman Michael Guest introduced a resolution to remove Santos from office following the report’s release. The resolution requires two-thirds of the House of Representatives to pass, but Santos is receiving support from multiple members of the GOP.
The proposed expulsion is the third time a member of the House of Representatives attempted to remove Santos. So far, the resolutions against Santos have failed, but the report’s findings might provide enough evidence for representatives to remove Santos from office.
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