Congress Full of ‘Felons,’ Lawmakers ‘Screw’ Lobbyists, George Santos Says

Embattled Consultant George Santos, a New York Republican, known as different members of Congress “felons” who’re in mattress with lobbyists in a Friday interview concerning the current Home Ethics Committee report in opposition to him.

Santos has lengthy been dogged by stories that he falsified features of his private historical past whereas working for workplace since being elected to Congress in 2022, and by additional accusations that he mishandled marketing campaign funds. On November 16, the Home Ethics Committee launched its report on the freshman congressman, concluding after a 10-month investigation that there’s “substantial” proof that Santos broke federal legal guidelines by improperly using marketing campaign funds, together with utilizing them on Sephora, Botox, and OnlyFans purchases, amongst others alleged infractions. Santos maintains his innocence and has pleaded not responsible to expenses associated to a prison investigation into his alleged fraud.

Within the wake of the report’s launch, Santos introduced that he wouldn’t be looking for reelection to characterize New York’s third Congressional District in 2024, presenting a brand new alternative for Democrats to probably retake the Home. He could depart workplace before that, nonetheless, as a brand new movement to expel him from Congress is being thought-about and, given the ethics report in opposition to him, could show profitable the place previous efforts haven’t.

On Friday night, Santos was interviewed by conservative podcast host Monica Matthews on X, the platform previously generally known as Twitter, the place he made his most intensive feedback but concerning the report, dismissing its findings and lashing out in opposition to the alleged misdeeds of his congressional colleagues.

“It is flawed. It was designed to smear me,” Santos stated concerning the report. “It was designed to power me out of my seat. That’s what the intention of this report was. This report wasn’t a discovering of details.”

He later added: “Inside the ranks of america Congress, there’s felons galore, there’s individuals with all kinds of sheisty backgrounds, and rapidly, George Santos is the Mary Magdalene of america Congress. I do not need to work with a bunch of hypocrites. It is gross. I’ve colleagues who’re extra nervous about getting drunk each night time with the subsequent lobbyists that they’ll screw and faux like none of us know what is going on on and unload the American individuals.”

The most recent movement to expel Santos from the Home was filed by Consultant Michael Visitor, a Mississippi Republican and the chair of the Home Ethics Committee, however has not been placed on the Home flooring schedule, and would require a member to note the movement as privileged to ensure that it to take action.

Through the Friday interview, Santos stated Visitor ought to “be a person and cease being a p****,” urging him to take the steps essential to get the movement transferring ahead.

Newsweek reached out to Visitor’s workplace by way of e mail for remark.