Ex-congressman George Santos is calling his former colleagues idiots after Democrat Tom Suozzi won the seat Santos once held.
Santos, a gay Republican, was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives December 1, halfway through his first term representing New York’s Third Congressional District. He had been caught in numerous lies and indicted on criminal charges including various types of fraud, and a House Ethics Committee report provided evidence he’d spent campaign donations on luxury items and online pornography. In Tuesday’s special election, Suozzi, who held the seat before Santos, easily beat Republican candidate Mazi Pilip.
Numerous Republicans joined Democrats in voting for Santos’s ouster, and because of that, he excoriated the New York Republican congressional delegation in a group text. “I hope you guys are happy with this dismal performance and your 10 million for futile Bull Shit cost the party,” he wrote late Tuesday, as first reported by The Daily Beast. “I look very forward to most of you losing due to your absolute hate filled campaign to remove me from Congress arbitrarily. Now go tell the Republicans Base what you fucking idiots did and good luck raising money next quarter.”
He also posted a message on X, the Beast reports, saying, “To my former colleagues in the house GOP please make these idiots pay you guys $10million back. These RINO’s are the most effective democrats operatives in the nation!” The post is no longer visible.
He further urged Nassau County Republican Committee Chairman Joseph G. Cairo Jr. to resign. “I FLIPPED a 23 year Blue seat with the help of grassroots activists and by activating the base with retail politics,” he wrote on X. “Hey @NassauNYGOP money does not buy votes, it’s respecting the wishes of the base that wins votes. #NY3 is #MAGA country and since MAGA was disrespected, MAGA stayed home!”
Actually, Pilip courted the MAGA base, taking a strong anti-immigrant stance, among other things.
However, the MAGA man himself, Donald Trump, also claimed Pilip failed to appeal to his supporters. On his Truth Social platform, he blamed her loss on the fact that she didn’t endorse him for president. She “would have easily WON if she understood anything about MODERN DAY politics in America,” he wrote, adding, “MAGA, WHICH IS MOST OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, STAYED HOME - AND IT ALWAYS WILL, UNLESS IT IS TREATED WITH THE RESPECT THAT IT DESERVES.”
New York Republicans must put a “REAL” candidate up against Suozzi in November, Trump wrote. Suozzi’s victory Tuesday means he’ll just serve the remainder of Santos’s term, which ends in January, so candidates for the next term will have to run in November.
Santos’s former colleagues didn’t care to engage with him, Semaforreports. Rep. Andrew Garbarino was apparently the only one to reply to the text message, writing, “Sorry, new phone, who dis?” Semafor sought further comment from him, but he did not respond. Rep. Marc Molinaro, reached by the outlet, declined comment.