Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was indicted on federal charges following false statements he’s said about his employment and educational history since entering office in January 2023.
Santos’s charges are unknown since they are under seal, but he will likely appear in a New York federal court soon after facing arrest, according to CBS News.
BREAKING: CBS News has learned that New York Republican Congressman George Santos is expected to be arrested tomorrow. He's been charged by the Dept of Justice in a federal probe. #BreakingNews #GeorgeSantos #JusticeDepartment
— Matt Pieper (@MattPieper) May 9, 2023
Justice Department prosecutors in New York and Washington, D.C., have investigated allegations of false statements in Santos’s campaign finance filings and other areas.
Santos said he did not know about the charges until the Associated Press (AP) informed him.
“This is news to me,” he said in a brief phone interview with AP. “You’re the first to call me about this.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) spoke on the charges during a recent press conference.
“I’ll look at the charges,” McCarthy, who has been previously asked whether any investigations would affect Santos’s future in the House, said.
Reporter: Congressman Santos has been charged by federal prosecutors. Do you believe that he should be removed from Congress?
McCarthy: I'll look at the charges. pic.twitter.com/MUoYOVGTr5— Acyn (@Acyn) May 9, 2023
On April 17, 2023, Santos announced he would seek reelection despite some Democrats, and New York Republicans, calling for his resignation.
While in office, Santos has been accused of breaking campaign finance laws and federal conflict of interest laws while lying about where he attended school and worked before launching his 2022 campaign. In March 2022, The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Santos.
In an interview with the New York Post, Santos admitted to some false statements he included on his resume but has repeatedly denied more serious accusations, including one involving him allegedly mistreating a former staffer.
Santos confessed that he misrepresented his college attendance and employment history at prominent Wall Street firms. He said he never graduated from college and clarified that he did not directly work for Goldman Sachs or Citigroup but had done business with them through his former employer, Link Bridge.
Santos also spoke about accusations of him lying about his family history. Despite being criticized, he expressed determination to serve his two-year term in Congress and deliver on his campaign promises.
The representative was criticized for falsely claiming to be Jewish on his campaign website, which said that his mother was Jewish and escaped persecution by the Nazis during World War II. He said he is a Catholic but explained that his family from his mother’s side had a Jewish background, leading him to call himself “Jew-ish.”
Santos also confirmed that he was married to a woman until his divorce in 2017. He said he is now “happily married” to a man.
Despite all the false statements, Santos asserted that he was not a criminal and denied an allegation concerning a criminal charge he had in Brazil. He declared that the allegations would not interfere with his effectiveness as a congressman and would focus on getting things done for his constituents.
