Scandal-plagued Congressman George Santos complained he was being bullied out of office Thursday, ahead of a rare vote to oust him from the US House of Representatives for being “not fit” to serve.
The embattled Republican lawmaker, who is said to have used donor money on Botox and the OnlyFans porn website, among a slew of other allegations, is expected to face a vote for expulsion Friday.
The 35-year-old swept into Congress in 2022, helping the Republicans grab a razor-thin majority in the lower house.
It soon emerged that he had lied about almost everything on his apparently dazzling CV.
Since then, he has been indicted on dozens of federal charges related to stealing from campaign donors, credit card fraud and identity theft.
And two weeks ago a bipartisan report from the House Ethics Committee found “overwhelming evidence” of misconduct by Santos and alleged he had “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”
A two-thirds majority of the House is needed to expel a representative, and while two previous attempts failed, it is possible enough fellow Republicans now support his removal.
Santos maintained Thursday he would not step down of his own accord and he lashed out at “bullies.”
“If I leave, they win,” he told reporters at press conference. “This is bullying.”
In addition to Botox and OnlyFans, Santos, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, allegedly used the money at the luxury Italian goods store Ferragamo and at a casino, according to the House Ethics Committee.
“He deceived donors into providing what they thought were contributions to his campaign but were in fact payments for his personal benefit,” it said.
Aside from the criminal allegations, Santos has become notorious for a series of bizarre fabrications, including claiming to have worked for Goldman Sachs, being Jewish and having been a college volleyball star.
Republicans hold only a four-seat majority in the 435-seat House and losing even one member would impact their grip on legislation.
The last time the House expelled one of its members was in 2002, when Ohio Democrat James Traficant was ousted over 10 charges including bribery.
Santos has announced he will not seek reelection in 2024.
When asked about his plans after leaving office, Santos told reporters Thursday that “the future is endless, you just never know,” before adding that he wanted to remain involved in “public policy.”
