CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — The Long Island congressman who fabricated his qualifications and then played down the lies in the court of public opinion now has to defend himself in federal court, and he says he’s ready to do so.
Rep. George Santos faced a judge Wednesday on a 13-count indictment alleging he defrauded supporters and Congress in multiple schemes.
Santos, whose admitted web of lies got him elected but had rejected calls to resign the seat he won as a result, must now answer to federal criminal charges.
“This is the beginning of the ability for me to tackle and defend myself,” Santos said. “We have an indictment, we have the information that the government wants to come after me, and I’m going to comply. I’ve been complying throughout this process.”
Santos called the case a “witch hunt.”
“The reality is that it’s a witch hunt. Because it doesn’t make sense that in four months, four months, five months, I’m indicted. You have Joe Biden’s entire family receiving deposits, nine family members receiving money from foreign destinations in the inside. bank accounts. It’s been years of exposing… and yet no investigation is started on them. I’m going to fight my battle. I’m going to surrender. I’m going to fight the witch hunt. I’m going to take it upon myself to clear my name. And I hope to,” Santos said after leaving court.
WITCH HUNT!
— George Santos (@Santos4Congress) May 10, 2023
In court, with a sad face, he pleaded not guilty to the 19-page indictment, answering the judge’s questions with “Yes, ma’am.” Outside the court, he has insisted that he will be exonerated.
The charges – fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and false statements – center on what the US attorney calls “fraudulent schemes and blatant misrepresentations,” that Santos used “repeated dishonesty and deception to rise to the halls of Congress and get rich.” ”
“He used political contributions to line his own pockets, illegally applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives,” the US attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York said in a statement.
Specifically, that he:
He used $50,000 in political contributions for campaign ads to buy designer clothes and pay off credit cards and car payments. He applied for unemployment at the height of the pandemic while working and earning $120,000 a year. millions
Santos denied everything.
“During the pandemic, it wasn’t very clear. I don’t know where the government is getting the information,” Santos said. “It’s about innocence until proven guilty. I have my right to fight for my innocence, as the government has the right to try to convict me.”
Voters shared relief on social media. “Finally feeling ‘heard on the third’,” wrote one, who called the accusation karma.
Outspoken critic Josh Lafazan, who ran for the seat, said now is the time to end Santos’ national nightmare and kick him out.
“Today is a vindication. Today we confirm what we have been saying for five months. Santos is not only a liar, but he broke the public trust and probably violated federal law in the process,” Lafazan said.
“I’ve never met anyone who is a total liar,” said former Long Island Republican congressman Peter King. “To me, the Ethics Committee has enough to recommend that he be expelled, and they can send it to the House and that can be voted on in a matter of weeks. … He could be gone in June or July.”
Santos is free on $500,000 bond. The judge said he will be allowed to leave the state, at Santos’ request, to raise funds for re-election.
Santos is already talking about the future.
“This has been an experience for the books,” Santos said.
So what happened to the other irregularities? Where he got his sudden wealth to loan his campaign $700,000, campaign expenses are listed at $199.99; there is still a lot of other research.
The current charges include seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. They face a maximum sentence of 20 years, if convicted.
Santos is due back in court on June 30.
Hours after leaving court, Santos called CBS2 political reporter Marcia Kramer to talk about what she called “an interesting day.”
He told Kramer he was ready to fight his battles and said he wasn’t afraid of the accusation.
Santos admitted he thought the government could have sought more serious charges, though he also said he thought they were grasping at straws.
Calls are intensifying for him to be removed from office.
“I thought he should have resigned a long time ago. I didn’t think he should ever be here,” said Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would only ask for Santos’ resignation if he were found guilty.
“If a person is charged, they don’t sit on the committees. They have the right to vote, but they have to go to trial,” McCarthy said. “Like all Americans, you have your day in court.”
As he left White Plains on Wednesday, President Joe Biden was asked if Santos should be expelled.
“That’s for Congress to decide,” he said.
“It should do the right thing and put this district out of its misery and move on,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
“It’s an embarrassment to our party,” said Republican Sen. Mitt Romney.
“He needs to go immediately. I hope he resigns,” said Republican Rep. Nicholas LaLota.
The legal troubles may not stop there. It is still under investigation in various jurisdictions, as well as the House Ethics Committee.
In a statement, Concerned Citizens of NY-03 said:
No one is surprised that George Santos was indicted in federal court today on seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. The world has known for months that Santos is a liar, an impostor, a criminal. The only thing we didn’t know was which of his many crimes would be prosecuted first. The time has come for President Kevin McCarthy to withdraw his support for Santos and show him the door.
Even in Congress, where stretching the truth is almost the norm, Santos is an outlier. He is an impostor. The well-educated, half-black Jewish real estate mogul that George Santos sold to the voters of NY-03 was a mirage. Unlike other legitimately elected members of Congress who have found themselves in hot water for wrongdoing, George Santos has never represented the will of the people of New York’s Third Congressional District.
It’s a shame that McCarthy has continued to sully the US House of Representatives by allowing Santos to walk those hallowed halls, for over four months now! And all that time, residents of New York’s Third Congressional District have been without meaningful representation. It is the speaker who sets the rules for what happens next. McCarthy must eliminate Santos, without further delay. George Santos cannot be allowed to fool the American people one more day.
“The breathtaking scope of Mr. Santos’ lies has left his constituents, and all New Yorkers, gasping for breath and calling for accountability. Now that the Eastern District of New York has properly charged him, Mr. Santos should resign. It has long been clear that voters have been defrauded, and Mr. Santos’ seat in Congress is ill-gotten gains: he should not be allowed to profit from the fruits of his deception. they deserve a representative who won’t lie and cheat their way to power, and unfortunately they’ve waited too long for Mr. Santos to do the right thing and step down,” said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY.
“There is nothing worse than having a candidate whose integrity is not intact, so I hope he can explain this for the sake of a lot of people,” said Evi Angelakis, a former friend of Santos.
Even if he is convicted of a crime, he can only be removed from office if two-thirds of the House of Representatives vote to expel him.
Carolyn Gusoff
