Fifty-six pages. That is how long the House Ethics Committee report on Rep. George Santos ran when it came out on Thursday, and its authors did not soften the verdict. “Representative Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of the House candidacy for his own personal financial profit,” the investigators wrote. “He blatantly stole from his campaign.”
Santos, a New York Republican, said afterward that he would not resign but would not seek a second term in 2024 either, “as my family deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time.” Late that night he posted another statement on X calling 2023 “my year from hell” and politics “dirty,” and announced a press conference on the Capitol steps for November 30 at 8 a.m.
What the committee found
The report covers the 23 felony charges already pending against him, which include identity theft and credit card fraud. Santos has pleaded not guilty. The investigative subcommittee also found “substantial evidence” of further uncharged unlawful and unethical conduct, and sent its findings to the Justice Department.
Specifically, the panel said Santos knowingly had his campaign committee file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission, used campaign money for personal purposes, and broke the Ethics in Government Act in his financial disclosure statements to the House. It called his conduct beneath the dignity of the office and said it brought severe discredit on the House.
Included in the report was a spreadsheet produced by his former campaign treasurer from the campaign debit card. It showed charges to an aesthetic company for Botox, to Brooks Brothers, and several payments to Airbnb.
The report states that Santos “deceived donors into providing what they thought were contributions to his campaign but were in fact payments for his personal benefit,” and that he reported fictitious loans to his committees to draw further contributions, then paid himself back from campaign funds. It adds that he kept this up “through a constant series of lies to his constituents, donors, and staff about his background and experience.”
To get there, the panel contacted at least 40 witnesses, reviewed 170,000 pages of documents and authorized more than three dozen subpoenas.
The expulsion push
The report stops short of recommending expulsion. Even so, Rep. Michael Guest, the committee chair, said he was ready to bring a resolution, and was expected to file it Friday morning to start a third attempt. Santos survived a November 1 vote when the House fell short of the two-thirds majority needed.
New York Republicans who have led the effort said they would renew it after the Thanksgiving recess. “The substance in the report will drive other members to get to yes,” Rep. Nick LaLota said. Rep. Marc Molinaro was blunter: “George Santos is a fraud; he should not be a member of Congress.” Gov. Kathy Hochul also called on Santos to resign.
Separately, prosecutors allege in the indictment that Santos stole donors’ identities and ran up tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on their credit cards, and that he falsely told the FEC he had lent his campaign $500,000. On Tuesday, a former fundraiser for Santos pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud charge, admitting he impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide while raising campaign cash.
If Santos did resign, Hochul would have to call a special election within 10 days, to be held 70 to 80 days after her announcement. There would be no primary, and party leaders would pick the candidates. Former Rep. Tom Suozzi would likely be the Democrats’ choice.
