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Tag: george santos
George Santos

Right-Wing Pundits Yearning For Santos After Special Election Defeat

Conservative media figures are expressing regret for the expulsion of disgraced former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) following the Democratic victory in last night’s special election to fill his seat. Many of them are blaming Republican congressional leadership and GOP institutions for creating an opening for Democrats to retake a seat in the U.S. House by allowing Santos to be expelled, ignoring political reporting that immigration was a key issue in the race after right-wing media and former President Donald Trump helped the GOP sink a bipartisan immigration deal just a week prior to the election.

  • A Democrat won the special election for Santos’ House seat
    • Democrat Tom Suozzi won the New York special election to fill the seat left vacant after Santos was expelled from the House. From The Associated Press: “Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip to take the seat that was left vacant when George Santos, also a Republican, was expelled from Congress. The victory marks a return to Washington for Suozzi, who represented the district for three terms before giving it up to run, unsuccessfully, for governor.” [The Associated Press, 2/14/24]
    • Congress voted on December 1, 2023, to expel Santos — who faces multiple criminal charges — in a bipartisan 311-114 vote over campaign finance violations, fraudulent schemes, and blatant lies outlined in a House Ethics Committee report. The first-term GOP representative, who announced he would not seek reelection following the report, is also facing a 23-count federal indictment and a Justice Department investigation into the allegations — which include misusing campaign funds to pay for Botox and OnlyFans, “a subscription-based website where people sell adult content.” [The Associated Press, 12/1/23; CBS, 11/16/23; CNN, 11/16/23]
  • Immigration was a key issue in the special election, and right-wing media just pushed the GOP to sink a bipartisan immigration bill
    • The New York Times reported that Suozzi “went on the attack” when his opponent “condemned a bipartisan Senate deal that included stiff border security provisions that conservatives had demanded.” [The New York Times, 2/13/24]
    • Analyzing the special election’s aftermath, The Washington Post noted, “The GOP’s immigration focus didn’t work” — in part because Suozzi supported immigration reforms while his opponent “echoed GOP attacks” against “the bipartisan Senate deal that Republicans ultimately torpedoed last week.” [The Washington Post, 2/13/24]

      • The Hill: Suozzi’s opponent “centered much of her campaign messaging around immigration as the issue received widespread attention both nationwide and in the district.” The Hill reported that polling found the district’s voters “considered immigration more important than any other issue.” [The Hill,2/14/24]
      • Conservative media pushed multiple myths about immigration and a bipartisan Senate bill to convince Republicans to kill it. After relentless opposition from conservative media, former President Donald Trump, and House Republicans, GOP senators on February 7 blocked a compromise bill that extracted major immigration policy concessions from Democrats in exchange for security aid for Ukraine and other U.S. allies. In the days and weeks leading up to the bill’s defeat, conservative media pushed multiple myths about the border deal to stir up enough opposition to block it — even though the bill itself was negotiated by conservative Sen. James Lankford (R-OK). [Media Matters, 2/12/24]
      • Conservative media attacked GOP supporters of the bipartisan bill. After the bill’s text was released, right-wing media suggested that supportive lawmakers were betraying their party and constituents. Weeks before the bill was finished, however, right-wing media were already threatening to oust Republicans who worked on the deal. [Media Matters, 2/7/24, 1/19/24]
    • Following the Democratic victory, conservatives criticized Republicans for allowing the expulsion of Santos
      • NewsBusters Executive Editor Tim Graham: “If I were a pol, I would have voted against dumping” Santos. Graham wrote “Santos didn't deserve the seat, but the majority is paper-thin” to justify keeping Santos in the House. [Twitter/X, 2/14/24]
      • National Review senior writer Dan McLaughlin: “I still think the House - both parties - will live to regret breaking longstanding norms to expel Santos.” McLaughlin also criticized the House GOP leadership’s “choice to put a reputation for ethical standards above the party's immediate self-interest.” [Twitter/X, 2/13/24]
      • Conservative talk radio host Bo Snerdley: “Congrats to the Republican Party Republicans threw out Santos and got a Democrat.” [Twitter/X, 2/13/24]
      • Conservative Substack author @amuse: “Unforced Error: The GOP should have allowed Santos to have his day in court before expelling him. We barely could push through an impeachment today - now that he’s been replaced by a Democrat we’d lose that vote tomorrow.” [Twitter/X, 2/13/24]
    • Right-wing online show host Benny Johnson: “The outcome of expelling George Santos: Democrats gain a seat. Republicans are useless and are addicted to losing.” [Twitter/X, 2/13/24]
    • Students for Trump founder Ryan Fournier: “They removed George Santos and a Democrat takes the seat. Pathetic.” Fournier added in a follow-up post, “GUT THE RNC.” [Twitter/X, 2/13/24, 2/13/24]
    • Daily Wire host Michael Knowles: “We kicked George Santos out of Congress for some reason and, you’re going to be shocked to hear it, a Democrat won his seat.” Knowles complained that “we kicked out a Republican congressman because he’s a weirdo” and, after going off on a racist tangent against Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), said: “You’re going to give up potentially a razor-thin Republican majority — for what? To stand on the principles that no one applies?” [The Daily Wire, The Michael Knowles Show, 2/14/24]
    • Fox & Friends host Lawrence Jones: “The real problem, guys, is, why did they give up the seat to begin with?” Jones added: “I understand people have criticism, rightfully, of George Santos. But you should allow the voters to decide. Instead, the Democrats stay together again, and Republicans voted to get rid of one of their members. Great job, now you’ve lost the seat, and you can't get anything passed.” Jones’ co-hosts followed up by explaining that Santos was a fraud and the ethics report on him was damning. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 2/14/24]

Reprinted with permission from Media Matters.

George Santos

Santos Threatens House Republicans With Corruption 'Receipts' (VIDEO)

On Sunday, pathological backstory-fabricator George Santos granted an interview to a local CBS affiliate in New York. Appearing on “The Point with Marcia Kramer,” the ousted Congress member declared that he had learned from his mistakes and that he was going to atone by exposing all of the corruption he saw in Washington—and named fellow Republicans as some of the biggest offenders.

Fellow Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis from New York’s 11th District has been one of Santos’ favored targets. He has publicly called Malliotakis corrupt, intimating that she has used her position to commit insider trading violations. Asked about his claims, Santos said, “I saw how the sausage is made and I have receipts and I'm willing to show the American people. You don't need to believe me; believe the proof and the evidence,” and promised to reveal this evidence in the near future."

George Santos: I mean, NicoleMallioStockTips, as I call her now—I mean, she's insider trading and it's almost evident if you look at her disclosures … I mean, it's not hard to see a member—

Marcia Kramer: —How do we prove that?

Santos: It's very easy. She receives classified briefings as a member of the Ways and Means Committee. It takes a very competent FBI officer to go look at her trading and how it works and just look at her communication. This is all digitized these days. It's not hard to see a person saying, “Hey, do this trade, I just got a good tip.”

Kramer: She's pushed back on that, though.

Santos: Well, they all push back. But can somebody explain to me how is it that she miraculously becomes a member of the committee and then she's doing trades on NYCB, with the Signature Bank collapse, just the day before having an 80% stock hike? That's not a lucky trade, Marcia. That's a very well-informed trade.


Malliotakis is one of the Republicans who voted to expel Santos from the House. The trade Santos is referring to took place earlier this year and absolutely reeks of insider trading. She is just one of the Republicans Santos targeted on social media the same evening as his expulsion, alleging vast corruption. That’s when he first called her “Nicole MallioStockTips,” saying she was “a dirty dishonorable swamp creature selling the American people down a river for her own benefit.” Good times with what sounds like great people!

Santos is facing serious election and financial fraud charges himself, and told Kramer that a plea deal is not off the table. Santos’ trial is set for September 2024, but CBS is reporting that the Department of Justice will be trying to get Santos’ trial moved up to May 2024. Life comes at you fast!

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos

Matt Gaetz

GOP-Led House Ethics Committee Reopens Gaetz Sex Offenses Probe

On Thursday, CNN reported that the House Committee on Ethics is renewing its investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) after issuing a new request to interview a witness.

According to the network, the request to interview the unnamed witness went out the day before the House of Representatives voted for the expulsion of Rep. George Santos (R-NY), stating that "the Chairman and Ranking Member have authorized staff to conduct an interview" with the witness. This is the first activity out of the committee regarding Gaetz since July, when it interviewed a witness in Florida about "alleged lobbying violations."

In response to CNN asking him about the probe, Gaetz said "oh please" and "I wish them luck."

The ethics committee initially launched its investigation into Gaetz in 2021, when Democrats were in control. CNN reported that the initial probe looked into allegations that Gaetz "violated sex trafficking laws, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, used illicit drugs, converted campaign funds to personal use and accepted a bribe, among other claims."

While a Department of Justice investigation into Gaetz for alleged sex trafficking of a minor concluded with no charges filed against the Florida congressman, a source close to the ethics committee confided to CNN that the DOJ's decision to not file criminal charges "does not impact what the committee will and won’t investigate." The network reported that the committee has not yet interviewed key witnesses in the DOJ probe, including his close associate Joel Greenberg, who in 2021 was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to underage sex trafficking, wire fraud, stalking, identity theft, producing a fake ID card and conspiring to defraud the United States government.

Gaetz has carved out a reputation in the House of Representatives as a bomb thrower among the GOP, as the instigator of the motion to vacate former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). Ultimately, Gaetz and seven other Republicans joined all Democrats in voting to oust McCarthy from the speakership following his efforts to work with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.

On Wednesday, McCarthy announced he would not be retiring from Congress at the end of 2023. His exit triggers a special election in his Southern California district, potentially endangering Republicans' ability to hold their slim majority in the next Congress.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

George Santos

After House Expels Santos, Both Parties Gird For Special Election

Voters in New York's Third Congressional District will soon choose a new representative after the House voted to expel Republican Rep. George Santos on Friday by a 311-114 margin, with 105 Republicans joining 206 Democrats to eject the scandal-plagued freshman. 112 Republicans and two Democrats voted against ousting Santos, while two other Democrats voted "present."

This Long Island-based constituency, which includes northern Nassau County and a small portion of Queens, supported Joe Biden 54-45 in 2020, and Santos' infamy could drag down the eventual Republican nominee.

However, the GOP is hoping a fresh face will give them the chance to hold on in a region that has swung their way since Biden's inauguration. Republicans flipped the Nassau County executive and district attorney posts in 2021, while Bloomberg's Greg Giroux reports that Republican Lee Zeldin carried the district 56-44 last year against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. Republicans also performed well in local elections last month.

Democrats will have a chance to reverse that trend—and flip this seat—when the special election to replace Santos takes place in February. A 2021 state law gives Hochul 10 days to call a special election once a seat becomes vacant, and the contest must happen 70 to 80 days afterward. That points to an election on either Feb. 20 or 27.

However, there won't be any primaries beforehand. Rather, it will be up to local leaders in each party to pick their nominees, with Nassau holding sway since it's home to three-quarters of the 3rd's denizens, according to calculations by Daily Kos Elections. But anyone hoping to win a full two-year term in the next Congress will have to compete in the regularly scheduled primary, which is set for June 25.

We probably won't need to wait long to learn who each side will pick for the special. Jay Jacobs, who chairs both the state and Nassau County Democratic parties, tells Politico that the party's nominee will be announced on Tuesday. Jewish Insider's Joe Cairo also reports that Nassau GOP head Joe Cairo "is likely to announce his pick shortly after the date of the election is called."

A trio of notable Democrats were already running to take on Santos before he was expelled: former Rep. Tom Suozzi, a longtime Nassau County politician who represented the prior version of this seat from 2017 to 2023; former state Sen. Anna Kaplan; and Gramercy Surgery Center CEO Austin Cheng.

Suozzi may have the inside track for the nomination due to his ties to Democratic power brokers. Politico reported in October that Suozzi has a stake in four summer camps owned by Jacobs; Suozzi also spent six years serving alongside both Fifth District Rep. Greg Meeks, who runs the Queens party, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who will likely have some influence over the nomination process.

Suozzi, though, is by no means universally beloved by Democrats. The former congressman left his seat behind last year to wage a disastrous primary bid against Hochul, in which he took just 13 percent of the vote statewide. Kaplan greeted Suozzi's October comeback launch by declaring, "After almost a year of this district having embarrassing representation, Tom Suozzi thinks voters on Long Island have forgotten that he abandoned us to George Santos."

And while Suozzi has long identified as a supporter of reproductive rights, his detractors have focused on his opposition to allowing Medicaid to pay for abortions—a policy known as the Hyde Amendment that disproportionately impacts women of color. Kaplan has also made an issue of a 2006 Suozzi plan to reduce abortions by, among other things, promoting abstinence education, a plan that NARAL Pro-Choice New York slammed at the time.

Things are more uncertain on the Republican side, where none of the declared candidates have much electoral experience. Mike Sapraicone led fellow businessman Kellen Curry $520,000 to $244,000 in cash on hand at the end of September, while a pair of self-funders, Air Force veteran Greg Hach and businessman Daniel Norber, were behind with $150,000 and $117,000, respectively.

However, there's a good chance that the eventual GOP nominee in the special election won't be any of these four men. Republican leaders have spent months talking about fielding state Sen. Jack Martins, who lost to Suozzi by a 53-47 margin in 2016, when this seat was last open. Nassau County Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip has also been the subject of much GOP chatter in recent days, though it's also possible that another person will step forward and win over local party leaders.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.