Alleged Fraudster George Santos Says Efforts to Expel Him from Congress Count as 'Bullying'

The embattled New York congressman held a press conference to blast his House colleagues one day before they're expected to vote on an expulsion resolution against him

As Congressman George Santos faces an increasingly possible expulsion from the U.S. House, the indicted New York Republican is chalking his colleagues' disapproval up to political "theater" and "bullying."

“If I leave, they win," the first-term congressman said at a press conference on Thursday morning. "This is bullying… The reality of it is it’s all theater. It’s theater for the cameras, theater for the microphones, theater for the American people at the expense of the American people.”

House members are scheduled to vote on whether Santos should be expelled on Friday in response to a bombshell report from the House Ethics Committee which concluded that the congressman "cannot be trusted" after allegedly misusing campaign funds.

When the report was released, the Republican House Ethics chair revived a long-running expulsion conversation, calling for Santos' ouster based on the new evidence his committee uncovered in their wide-ranging investigation.

Related: From Botox to OnlyFans: A Few of the Things George Santos Allegedly Paid for with Campaign Funds

"We can all look back and say this is not how at least I thought this year would go," Santos, who faced calls to forfeit his seat even before his swearing-in, told reporters on Thursday. "I don’t think this is how most people in the media would think this year would go.”

Related: Protesters Fly Giant George Santos Balloon Near U.S. Capitol Ahead of Second Expulsion Vote: 'Full of Lies'

During his nearly 11 months in office Santos has been hit with 23 federal charges, including but not limited to money laundering, aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, and making materially false statements to the House of Representatives and Federal Election Commission. (Santos pleaded not guilty to all counts.)

Among the many allegations in its indictment, the U.S. government accused Santos of charging his own campaign donors' credit cards without authorization, often for personal gain.

Fellow New York Republicans led a charge to expel Santos after seeing the government's criminal case against him, but an expulsion vote called on Nov. 1 failed to oust him, with many members suggesting that they wanted to hear from the House Ethics Committee before pushing him out.

When House Ethics investigators ultimately concluded in mid-November that Santos had "placed his desire for private gain above his duty" as a lawmaker — even alleging that he stole campaign funds to make purchases at Sephora, Hermès and OnlyFans — some who previously opposed expelling him revealed that they had changed their minds. (At Thursday's press conference, a reporter asked Santos whether any clothing he was currently wearing had been purchased with campaign funds. "No, nothing," he replied as he looked down at his outfit.)

Related: Freshman Rep. George Santos Will Not Seek Reelection Following Release of Bombshell House Ethics Report

Only five members of the U.S. House have ever been expelled, and Santos himself said last Friday that he expects he will become the sixth.

""I know I'm going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor," he told conservative media personality Monica Matthews in an X Space. "I have done the math over and over, and it doesn't look really good."

In the same conversation, he vowed to wear his ousting "like a badge of honor."

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