New York Representative George Santos, known for his controversial tenure, has acknowledged his likely removal from Congress, which he views as a “badge of honor.”
In an interview on Friday, November 24th, with journalist Monica Matthews on X Space, Santos expressed a lack of concern about his impending expulsion.
He stated, “I’ll be the sixth expelled member of Congress in the history of Congress. And guess what? I’ll be the only one expelled without a conviction.”
In the interview, he criticized his fellow politicians’ conduct, accusing them of unethical behavior and negligence in their duties.
He claimed, “I have colleagues who are more worried about getting drunk every night with the next lobbyist that they’re gonna screw and pretend like none of us know what’s going on, and sell off the American people.”
Santos acknowledged in his discussion with Matthews that his tenure in the House of Representatives is coming to an end as the chamber prepares for its third effort to expel him.
He said, “I don’t care. You want to expel me? I’ll wear it like a badge of honor.”
Santos, who faces federal fraud charges and has admitted to fabricating significant portions of his background, seems resigned to his fate in Congress.
He remarked, “I’ve done the math over and over, and it doesn’t look really good,” regarding the vote expected to take place after Thanksgiving weekend.
Earlier this month, the Ethics Committee published a detailed 56-page report indicating “substantial evidence” of federal law violations by Santos.
The report highlights Santos’ misuse of campaign funds for personal expenses such as Botox and OnlyFans subscriptions, a website containing adult content.
After the report, Representative Michael Guest, leading the Ethics Committee, proposed a resolution for Santos’ expulsion.
Guest, representing Mississippi as a Republican, stated that the evidence presented was “more than sufficient to warrant punishment and the most appropriate punishment is expulsion.”
Santos, while refraining from commenting on the specific accusations in the report, dismissed them as “slanderous.”
He expressed concerns that defending against these allegations might adversely impact his ongoing federal case.
Santos has pleaded not guilty to the 23 federal charges he faces.
