Freshman Rep. George Santos Will Not Seek Reelection Following Release of Bombshell House Ethics Report
The Republican congressman was mired in controversy even before his swearing in last year — but between federal charges and a damning House Ethics report, his political future was halted in its tracks
Republican Rep. George Santos announced on Thursday morning that he will not seek reelection to Congress in 2024, putting an expiration date on his short and controversial tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives after flipping the New York seat red in the 2022 midterm elections.
Santos — who was mired in controversy even before his January swearing-in — entered the national spotlight on a rocky note, as story after story cropped up about him lying about his past, allegations of running fraudulent schemes accumulated, and a prospective staffer accused him of making unwanted sexual advances.
Santos eventually admitted to "embellishing" his resumé, but vehemently denied criminal wrongdoing.
Related: Former New York Congressman Aims to Take Back House Seat Filled by Republican George Santos
As questions about Santos' political rise mounted, many involving his finances, the House Ethics Committee and multiple government agencies launched investigations into his actions to determine whether wrongdoing may have occurred.
A federal investigation resulted in 23 criminal charges against Santos alleging a range of fraud-related crimes, including aggravated identity theft, money laundering, wire fraud, theft of public funds, falsifying records, and making material false statements to the U.S. House and Federal Election Commission. He pleaded not guilty to all counts.
But in October, Santos' former campaign treasurer pleaded guilty to a felony charge, and on Tuesday, his former campaign fundraiser pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
But the final blow for Santos came on Thursday — shortly before he bowed out of the 2024 race — when the House Ethics Committee released a damning report summarizing its monthslong probe into his conduct.
The committee claimed to have found "significant evidence" of wrongdoing that would be forwarded to the Department of Justice, stating, "George Santos cannot be trusted."
A number of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have repeatedly called for Santos' resignation and expulsion, claiming he has lost the public's trust and distracts from the work that Congress is doing. But a recent effort to expel Santos from Congress — led by New York Republicans — failed in the House.
On Friday, Mississippi Republican Michael Guest, who chairs the House Ethics Committee, is expected to introduce another expulsion measure, citing the new evidence as reason for swift punishment.
Unless he is expelled sooner, Santos — who has long refused to resign and previously vowed to power onward with his 2024 reelection bid — will now vacate the seat for New York's historically blue-leaning 3rd Congressional District in January 2025.
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