Next September, George Santos is expected to go to trial on a slew of federal crimes, from wire fraud and money laundering to allegedly stealing campaign donors’ identities. But in the meantime, he’s decided the most productive thing he can do for America is run for Congress again.
During the State of the Union last night, the disgraced lawmaker and pathological liar announced that “after a lot of prayer and conversation with my friends and family, I have made a very important decision” to challenge Nick LaLota to represent New York’s First Congressional District. Claiming that he “left office arbitrarily” in December—a rather euphemistic way to describe being expelled by his colleagues following a damning ethics report—Santos wrote that “New York hasn’t had a real conservative represent them since” his departure, and that LaLota is “willing to risk the future of our majority and the future of this country for his own political gain.” In response to the news, LaLota said in a statement: “To raise the standard in Congress, and to hold a pathological liar who stole an election accountable, I led the charge to expel George Santos. If finishing the job requires beating him in a primary, count me in.”
Santos is scheduled to stand trial in September, after which, should he be convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 22 years in prison. (He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, though is in talks for a plea deal.) He has also kept himself busy over the last several months by filming Cameos, suing Jimmy Kimmel, and calling his ex-colleagues “fucking idiots.”
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