The Department of Justice has filed federal criminal charges against Rep. George Santos (R-NY) possibly in relation to false statements on his campaign finance filings.
Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against New York Rep. George Santos, the Republican lawmaker whose astonishing pattern of lies and fabrications stunned even hardened politicos, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Santos is expected to appear as soon as Wednesday at federal court in New York’s eastern district, where the charges have been filed under seal.
The exact nature of the charges couldn’t immediately be learned but the FBI and the Justice Department public integrity prosecutors in New York and Washington have been examining allegations of false statements in Santos’ campaign finance filings and other claims.
The charges alone do not mean that Santos will be expelled from Congress. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy set the bar for expelling Santos at the New York congressman being convicted of a crime.
Depending on what the DOJ charges Santos with, he could be looking at federal prison. Rep. Santos has been caught in numerous lies and potential criminal violations of the nation’s campaign finance laws, so it is probable that the DOJ is going to focus on that area.
It is unlikely that Santos will resign from the House, or Speaker McCarthy will expel him. With only a four-seat majority, House Republicans can’t afford to lose a single vote. The odds are McCarthy will hope that Santos’s criminal case drags through the 2024 election, but it looks like Republicans can kiss Santos’s seat goodbye next year.
George Santos might be going down faster than anyone expected.