After Ethics Committee releases scathing report, George Santos says he won’t seek reelection

The House Ethics Committee on Thursday issued a scathing record on embattled Rep. George Santos, following its monthslong investigation into the New York Republican’s movements that experience led to just about two-dozen pending prison fees and repeated efforts to expel him from the House of Representatives.

Santos has pleaded no longer in charge and defended himself, insisting he will stay in place of work, however within the instant wake of the ethics record he stated Thursday he won’t seek reelection.

“I will continue on my mission to serve my constituents up until I am allowed. I will however NOT be seeking re-election for a second term in 2024 as my family deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time,” he stated in a statement.

The 56-page report, written via an investigative subcommittee, breaks down the 23 federal prison fees towards Santos, together with conspiracy, twine fraud, false statements, falsification of data, annoyed id robbery and credit card fraud.

The committee stated its investigation “revealed a complex web of unlawful activity involving Representative Santos’ campaign, personal, and business finances.”

“Representative Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit. He blatantly stole from his campaign,” the record states.

The record additionally discovered “substantial” proof that Santos violated felony regulations, “some of which” are topic to pending fees. But it additionally alleges proof of extra illegal habits, together with in regards to the information on federal filings.

“He deceived donors into providing what they thought were contributions to his campaign but were in fact payments for his personal benefit,” the record states, repeating fees defined towards him via the Department of Justice in its indictment. “He reported fictitious loans to his political committees to induce donors and party committees to make further contributions to his campaign–and then diverted more campaign money to himself as purported ‘repayments’ of those fictitious loans. He used his connections to high value donors and other political campaigns to obtain additional funds for himself through fraudulent or otherwise questionable business dealings.

“And he sustained all of this thru a relentless sequence of lies to his constituents, donors, and team of workers about his background and revel in.”

The Ethics Committee, however, does not make a formal recommendation to the House on a range of sanctions that could be coming for the freshman lawmaker, including expulsion — a move his New York GOP colleagues aim to renew following the Thanksgiving break.

Significantly, House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest will introduce an expulsion resolution Friday during a pro forma session, according to his office.

Santos declined to speak with the committee, with his attorney informing House investigators that “pursuant to my recommendation and the pending felony allegations Representative Santos declines to voluntarily seem to be interviewed via the Committee.” Santos also did not submit a written response to the allegations.

The subcommittee also considered subpoenaing Santos but ultimately decided against it “to keep away from additional delaying its investigation” and because Santos’ lawyer had indicated he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

In a speech defending himself ahead of an expulsion vote in early November, which he survived, Santos said, “I’m preventing teeth and nail to transparent my identify in entrance of all the global, Mr. Speaker. It hasn’t been simple, however I’m preventing via God’s grace.”

In the long he posted on X Thursday after the record was once launched and saying he would run for reelection, Santos fired again on the House investigators.

“If there was once a unmarried ounce of ETHICS within the “Ethics committee”, they’d have no longer launched this biased record. The Committee went to atypical lengths to smear myself and my prison staff about me no longer being drawing close (My prison expenses recommend differently). It is a disgusting politicized smear that displays the depths of ways low our federal govt has sunk. Everyone who participated on this grave miscarriage of Justice will have to all be embarrassed about themselves,” he wrote.

New York freshman Republican Rep. Mike Lawler – whose disdain for Santos is well-known – calls for Santos to resign not only “right away” but also “nowadays.”

“George Santos will have to finish this farce and renounce right away. If he refuses, he will have to be got rid of from Congress. His habits isn’t just unbecoming and embarrassing, it’s felony. He is not worthy to serve and will have to renounce nowadays,” Lawler said.

ABC News’ Mariam Khan, Lauren Peller and John Parkinson contributed to this report.

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