Just a few weeks after announcing his 2024 re-election campaign, controversial Long Island Congressman George Santos has been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice. The charges come on the heels of numerous scandals involving the congressman reportedly lying to his constituency.
Per ABC News, the charges came as a surprise to many, including Santos, who reportedly told the Associated Press, “This is news to me. You’re the first to call me about this.” In fact, the charges are currently sealed, so what, exactly, Santos has been charged with has yet to be disclosed.
Santos has frequently been criticized for making various deceptive claims, including lying about having Jewish ancestry (Santos would later claim he was implying he was “Jew-ish”), his mother’s death occurring as a result of 9/11 (records show she had been out of the US since 1999), various unverified jobs, and numerous other situations.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, a fellow Congressman from New York (who also happens to be an openly gay Latino like the embattled representative), has been among Santos’ biggest critics. Torres proceeded to call the charges “long overdue” in a statement, which called for Santos’ resignation.
“He is a pathological liar and lawbreaker who lied to the voters of New York State and defrauded his way into the United States Congress,” the statement read. “About 800,000 Americans have been continually deprived of the honest representation they deserve in the People’s House. Although the details of the federal prosecution are not yet fully known, one thing is crystal clear – either Rep. Santos must resign or House Republican leadership, under Speaker Kevin McCarthy, must summon the courage to join House Democrats in expelling him. Rep. Santos is a deep rot of corruption at the core of Congress.”
Various other legislators have called for Santos’ resignation in the past. Santos has previously been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee due to his previous dubious claims, but it’s currently unknown if the investigation has anything to do with the current charges against Santos. Despite only having taken office in January of 2023, Santos has grown increasingly controversial for his perceived dishonesty and political positions (despite the current plight of LGBT+ rights and his own identity as a gay man, for instance, Santos has encouraged LGBT+ Americans to vote for candidates and causes that undermine their own rights).
With the situation currently developing, updates about Santos’ indictment are forthcoming.
