New York Republican George Santos is reportedly back in his district today. Instead of attending a conference or town hall, he's set to appear at a different kind of meeting.
One in federal court after surrendering to the authorities.
Santos may be arraigned as early as Wednesday afternoon following federal charges by the Justice Department last night. Federal prosecutors had been investigating apparent irregularities with his campaign finances for some time.
The indictment remains under seal until his court appearance.
Less than four months into his first term, the freshman lawmaker has faced accusations of violating campaign finance laws, federal conflict of interest laws, masterminding a credit card fraud scheme and stealing money from an Iraq War veteran meant for his dying dog.
Santos has apologized for what he called resume embellishments but vehemently denied the other charges.
The Daily Beast has more on the quickly developing situation:
He is facing 13 criminal counts including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and lying to Congress, a spokesperson for the court told The Daily Beast.
Investigators have been probing Santos' campaign and financial affairs for months. Since being elected last year, the congressman has been accused of lying about his life story, work history, and education, and questions have been raised surrounding unusual payments and loans surrounding his campaign.
Despite the mounting scrutiny, Santos was apparently surprised when federal prosecutors filed charges in the Eastern District of New York on Tuesday. “This is news to me,” he told the Associated Press when approached for comment. “You're the first to call me about this.”
Aside from the allegations which led to his criminal charges, Santos had previously been accused of fabricating large swathes of his biography— including not disclosing a marriage and lying that his mother was killed on 9/11—as well as stealing money intended to pay for a veteran's dog's surgery, using a stolen checkbook to buy clothes in Brazil, running a credit card fraud scheme, and possibly making up an “assassination attempt.”
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Yes, it stands to reason that someone who lied as he did to get elected is probably in the habit of disregarding every other legal and moral standard when it suits his purposes. Now he should be kicked out of Congress AND denied the lifelong cushy pension and other benefits that Congress-critters get. Meanwhile, the media is shown to be clearly incompetent for not sussing this guy out well before he was elected. Where were they? And he’s a Republican! How did they miss it that this guy is a creep and a liar and now, also, it appears, a criminal?
Four months to investigate and then bring charges (or decide the evidence doesn’t warrant it) is about right and what the Framers had in mind when they wrote into the Constitution the right to a speedy trial.
So, why 5 years and no indictments of the Biden crime family? 7 years and no indictments of the Clinton Campaign and DNC for the dirty Steele dossier created in an attempt to overturn our 2016 elections? No indictments for the 2016 unlawful manipulation of the FISA courts by the DOJ and FBI? No indictments from the Biden 2020 campaign’s false flag operation on the origins of the content on Hunter Biden’s laptop?
Just to name a few.
Clickbait – this guy is not prominent. Give me a break.
Alas, scumbags abound!