He Congressman George Santos pleaded not guilty Friday to revised charges accusing him of various frauds, including making tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on credit cards belonging to some of his campaign donors.
The New York Republican appeared in a Long Island court to give his statement to the new allegations. Previously, it pleaded not guilty to other chargesfirst filed in May, which accused him of lying to Congress about his wealth, applying for and receiving unemployment benefits even though he had a job, and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses such as clothing designs.
The court appearance came the morning after some of Santos’ Republican colleagues in New York launched an effort to expel him from Congress.
Santos’ attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf and a tentative hearing date was set for September 9, 2024.
Santos is free on bail while awaiting trial. He has denied any serious wrongdoing and has blamed irregularities in his government regulatory filings on his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, who he says “went rogue.”
Marcos in turn has implicated Santos. When recently pleaded guilty to one count of fraud conspiracytold a judge that he had helped Santos trick Republican Party officials into supporting his 2022 election bid through false filings to the Federal Election Committee that made him appear richer than he really was, in part by publicly listed an imaginary $500,000 loan that supposedly came from his personal wealth.
Santos has continued to represent his New York district in Congress since he was impeached, rejecting calls for his resignation from several fellow New York Republicans.
U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who represents a congressional district adjacent to the one that elected Santos, introduced a resolution Thursday calling for Santos to be expelled from the House, saying he was unfit to serve his constituents. He was joined by four other New York Republicans: U.S. Reps. Nick LaLota, Michael Lawler, Marc Molinaro and Brandon Williams.
Santos posted a cryptic note on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying, “Everything has an end in life,” but then added three points of clarification.
“1. I haven’t cleaned out my office. 2. I’m not going to quit. 3. I have the right to due process and not a predetermined outcome as some seek,” she wrote.
He has also said he intends to run for re-election next year, although he could face a lengthy prison sentence if convicted.
During his successful bid for office in 2022, Santos was buoyed by an uplifting life story that was later revealed to be riddled with lies. Among other things, he never worked for the major Wall Street investment firms where he claimed to have been employed, he did not go to college where he claimed to have been a star volleyball player, and he misled people about his Jewish heritage. .
While Santos has not faced any criminal charges related to the lies he told the public, he does face accusations that he bolstered his image of having made a fortune in the investment world by submitting a false financial statement to the U.S. House of Representatives. Joined.
2023-10-27 16:35:11
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