Expelled Congressman Set For Another Run for House

(StraightNews.org) – Disgraced Republican Congressman George Santos has announced he will challenge GOP Rep. Nick LaLota just months after his expulsion from the House of Representatives. Mr. Santos appeared on Capitol Hill for Joe Biden’s recent State of the Union speech after colleagues voted by 311 to 114 for his expulsion in December following a report that condemned him for “a complex web of unlawful activity.”

Appearing to blame Mr. LaLota for his expulsion, Santos tweeted that New York has not had conservative representation since he “left office arbitrarily, thanks to RINO, empty suits like Nick LaLota.” Mr. LaLota was one of many Republican Congress members who voted to remove Mr. Santos from the House of Representatives.

LaLota responded to Santos’s challenge, calling him a “pathological liar,” who “stole an election.” Following his election to the House, Mr. Santos admitted he had lied extensively during his campaign, including stating that he worked for a major New York bank, graduated from university, and was Jewish – none of which was true.

The December report into Santos’ conduct, released by the House Ethics Committee, found “substantial evidence” that he used campaign funds for his own benefit and thereby breached federal laws. It also stated that the former Congressman’s campaign committee filed false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission and engaged in “knowing and willful” violations of federal ethics laws.

Mr. Santos’ attorney called the report a “disgusting hit piece” and a biased example of how low “the federal government has sunk.”

Republicans largely reacted negatively to the news. Suffolk County GOP chair Jesse Garcia said his candidacy would have the same credibility as his claim that he graduated from Baruch College. New York Rep. Anthony D’Esposito said Santos, “if that’s really his name,” should focus on his personal problems rather than trying to re-enter Congress and make a spectacle of himself again. Rep. Garrett Graves of Louisiana said Mr. Santos’ time has come and gone.