On the same day a scathing House ethics report found “substantial evidence” Rep. George Santos may have broken federal criminal law, the congressman announced he would not seek re-election for a second term next year.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after the ethics report was released Thursday, Santos said in part, “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.”
The report from the House ethics committee said there were “knowing and willful violations” of House ethics rules and the committee said it would refer “additional uncharged and unlawful conduct” allegations to the Department of Justice.
Santos has repeatedly denied the allegations against him. He has pushed back against any calls for him to resign, including from fellow members of the New York delegation. Earlier this month, the congressman survived a House vote to expel him with some members of Congress saying they wanted to want until the release of the ethics committee report.
“If there was a single ounce of ETHICS in the ‘Ethics committee’, they would have not released this biased report. The Committee went to extraordinary lengths to smear myself and my legal team about me not being forthcoming (My legal bills suggest otherwise),” Santos wrote in his post.
In the post, Santos makes no mention of resigning from office and said, “I will 100% continue to maintain my commitment to my conservative values in my remaining time in Congress.”
Rep. Dan Goldman, whose district includes part of New York City, said Thursday he plans to “file a motion to expel Santos from Congress once and for all” once Congress returns following the Thanksgiving break.
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