George Santos has a whole new scandal on his hands
In December, George Santos who was expelled from Congress. As he now awaits a federal criminal trial later this year, Santos announced a few weeks ago he was leaving the Republican Party, which he described as “a party that stands for nothing and falls for everything,” to run as an independent for the New York 1st Congressional District race. It hasn’t exactly been going well.
According to a filing with the Federal Election Commission this week, the Santos campaign has earned $0—not a typo—in its supposed fight to unseat Republican Rep. Nick LaLota. This has happened while his new campaign account has nevertheless spent money, adding to the bizarreness.
Santos is claiming some sort of high-road excuse for not raising any money. In a statement to The Daily Beast, he explained that “I will not be raising a single dime until I’m confirmed on the ballot, unlike many in the media speculating I’m only running to ‘grift.’” As if promoting some new ethical norm, Santos added, “I’m setting the standard that only confirmed ballot access candidates should raise money.”
In the meantime, Santos is continuing to get marginalized by the party he now eagerly derides. Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, a long-time Santos critic who pushed for his expulsion, introduced a resolution a few days ago to “deny certain privileges” to expelled House members. According to reporting from Politico, this would bar Santos and his ilk from visiting the members’ gym and the members-only Capitol dining room, remove his parking privileges, and block access to holdings at the Library of Congress and the House document room.
Perhaps most importantly, the resolution, co-sponsored by LaLota and others, would also force Santos to relinquish his member’s pin. More than just a keepsake, this pin allows former members back on the House floor (such as when Santos returned for President Joe Biden’s recent State of the Union) as well as enter other restricted areas. Between this pending resolution, a spectacularly failing campaign, and an upcoming criminal trial, it looks like we’ll be spending the rest of the year watching Santos do what he does best: helplessly circle the drain.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month