Embattled Rep. George Santos has snubbed President Biden, turning down a White House invite on Tuesday extended to all first-term lawmakers for a meeting with the 80-year-old commander-in-chief.
Santos (R-NY) was not listed on the White House’s list of attendees for the East Room reception, according to the Hill, and his office told Newsday that the disgraced lawmaker would be skipping the event.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that Santos, like all new members, was invited to the biennial event.
The freshman lawmaker representing New York’s 3rd Congressional District has come under fire after a web of lies about his background unraveled in December, after winning his midterm election race.
Santos, 34, admitted to The Post last month that he lied about his education, work history, religion and details of his personal life, and he is currently under federal investigation for loaning his 2022 campaign more than $700,000, despite declaring a salary of only $55,000 as recently as 2020.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Tuesday that the Long Island Republican will be removed from Congress if the House Ethics Committee finds he broke the law.
“If for some way when we go through Ethics and he has broken the law, then we will remove him,” McCarthy told reporters.
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Four other first-term Republican House members skipped the White House event, including a fellow member of the Empire State’s congressional delegation, Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY), who boycotted the meeting in protest of the White House’s lingering COVID-19 protocols.
“Out of protest, I will not be attending President Biden’s gathering of Freshman House Members at the White House this week. Even though four months ago the President told ’60 Minutes’ that the pandemic is over, the White House is today enforcing arbitrary, outdated and unscientific pandemic protocols upon members of Congress who accepted the President’s invitation to meet him at the White House,” LaLota said in a statement.
The White House required attendees to test negative 24 hours prior to visiting the White House and also show proof of vaccination or submit to masking.
The Hill reports that the new GOP House that did attend the reception included Reps. Nick Langworthy (NY), Mike Lawler (NY), John James (Mich.), Mark Alford (Mo.), John Duarte (Calif.), Tom Kean (NJ), Kevin Kiley (Calif.), Nathaniel Moran (Texas), Dale Strong (Ala.) and Rudy Yakym (Ind.).
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