George Santos Won’t Seek Reelection After Scathing Ethics Report Released

A detailed report released by the House Ethics Committee on Thursday has brought to light substantial evidence of misconduct by embattled Republican New York Rep. George Santos. Chaired by Republican Mississippi Rep. Michael Guest and Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the bipartisan committee unanimously concluded that Santos knowingly violated several federal laws and ethics standards.

The report states, “Amid a deferral request from DOJ and Representative Santos’ obfuscation and delay, the ISC expeditiously compiled a voluminous record consisting of over 170,000 pages of documents and testimony from dozens of witnesses, including financial statements, contemporaneous communications, and other materials. That record demonstrated the breadth of Representative Santos’ misconduct. As discussed in the ISC’s Report, Representative Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”

Related: George Santos's Ex-Campaign Treasurer Implicates Congressman and Pleads Guilty to Criminal Charge

The report indicates that the committee will refer its findings to the Department of Justice.

Santos already faces more than a dozen federal criminal charges involving fraud.

“He blatantly stole from his campaign,” the report concludes. “He deceived donors into providing what they thought were contributions to his campaign but were, in fact, payments for his personal benefit... And he sustained all of this through a constant series of lies to his constituents, donors, and staff about his background and experience.”

While the committee has referred the case to the Justice Department, it has refrained from recommending specific disciplinary actions against Santos. Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the first out gay immigrant elected to Congress, issued a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to these findings.

Related: George Santos Dodges Expulsion as House Vote Falls Short of Ousting the Embattled Gay Lawmaker

Garcia, a vocal opponent of Santos, who is the first out gay Republican in Congress, wrote, “Over nine months ago, I led the charge to expel George Santos from Congress. Today, I thank the Ethics committee for reaffirming the blatantly obvious fact that George Santos is unfit to serve. The committee’s condemning report has made it crystal clear that the GOP’s decision to wait 9 months to act was not only irresponsible but dangerous… George Santos has no place in Congress, and that is why I will once again be submitting a privileged resolution to expel this liar and fraud when we return to session on November 28th.”

On the social media platform X, Santos expressed his dissatisfaction with the committee’s actions and findings.

In his post, he announced that he would not be running for reelection.

“If there was a single ounce of ETHICS in the ‘Ethics committee,’ they would have not released this biased report,” Santos wrote. “The Committee went to extraordinary lengths to smear myself and my legal team about me not being forthcoming (My legal bills suggest otherwise). It is a disgusting politicized smear that shows the depths of how low our federal government has sunk. Everyone who participated in this grave miscarriage of Justice should all be ashamed of themselves… I will remain steadfast in fighting for my rights and for defending my name in the face of adversity. I am humbled yet again and reminded that I am human and I have flaws, but I will not stand by as I am stoned by those who have flaws themselves. I will continue on my mission to serve my constituents up until I am allowed. I will however NOT be seeking re-election for a second term in 2024 as my family deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time.”

Santos, who has pleaded not guilty to all 23 federal charges against him, stepped down from his committee assignments in January and announced his intention to seek reelection in April.

The unfolding scenario presents a significant challenge for House Republicans, particularly under the leadership of the new Speaker, Mike Johnson, who has stressed the importance of due process for Santos amidst the party’s narrow majority in the House.

This story is developing...