U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-Nassau/Queens), the lead contender for the biggest liar ever elected to Congress, is reportedly contemplating a reelection bid next year despite multiple probes into his finances.
Santos, who has admitted lying about being a college graduate who worked on Wall Street, has privately debated whether to seek a second term, according to CNN — all while his colleagues are debating a resolution that, if passed, would expel him from the U.S. House of Representatives.
“After previously signaling to Republicans he wouldn’t seek reelection, Santos has recently been telling people he is considering running for a second term,” CNN reported, citing anonymous sources with knowledge of the deliberations.
The news comes after the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) gave Santos — who is being investigated by Nassau County, New York State, and federal prosecutors over questions about alleged campaign fundraising irregularities — gave him until March 14 to either declare his candidacy or cease soliciting donations. The FEC and the House ethics committee have also been urged to investigate Santos.
“Let me be very clear, I’m not leaving, I’m not hiding and I am NOT backing down,” Santos tweeted Tuesday days after a group of constituents traveled to his office to deliver petitions that joined the chorus of calls for his resignation over the past two months. “I will continue to work for #NY03 and no amount of Twitter trolling will stop me. I’m looking forward to getting what needs to be done, DONE!”
Outraged constituents of New York State’s 3rd Congressional District question how Santos can deliver for the community amid the snowballing scandals and his having declined appointments to committees.
“Each day that George Santos holds the honorable title of congressman is an affront to the residents of NY-03, democracy and decency,” said a group calling itself the Concerned Citizens of NY-03, which rallied Wednesday outside of his Douglaston office to urge House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to bring the resolution to expel Santos to a vote. “The residents of NY-03 will not sit back while that Resolution languishes in the Ethics Committee, which is just being constituted and has yet to hold its first meeting. Meanwhile, the residents of NY-03 are without meaningful representation and the country reels from Santos’s ongoing scandals.”
In addition fabricating his work and education history, Santos has lied about being the Jewish descendant of Holocaust survivors, having employees survive the Pulse nightclub massacre, and that his mother died of cancer stemming from the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks despite the fact that documents show she was in Brazil at the time and hadn’t been in America in years before or after 9/11.
More recently, Santos — who claims to have founded an animal nonprofit that the IRS has no record of — was also accused of stealing funds raised to help pay for surgery a homeless veteran’s dying service dog, allegedly cheating an Amish dog breeder and a former staffer accused him of making unwanted sexual advances.
Related Story: A List of All the Lies George Santos Has Told
