Rep. George Santos (R-NY) pleaded not guilty to financial crime charges in federal court on Wednesday.
Santos was indicted on 13 counts: seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
MCCARTHY WON’T CALL FOR SANTOS RESIGNATION UNLESS CONVICTED: ‘INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY’
The embattled representative appeared in court in Central Islip, New York, on Wednesday afternoon for a hearing after surrendering to authorities earlier in the day. Santos could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He’ll be released on a $500,000 bond.
“Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself. He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives,” Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said in a statement.
The Justice Department alleged in the indictment that Santos “defrauded prospective political supporters” by moving campaign funds into his personal bank account and using the funds for personal purchases, including “designer clothing,” among other uses.
Santos also allegedly received $24,000 in unemployment funds from June 2020 to April 2021 despite “working and receiving a salary on a near-continuous basis” during that time, per the court filings. The department also alleges that Santos “overstated his income and assets” during his 2020 and 2022 congressional campaigns.
After his court appearance, Santos said during a press conference that he would continue to comply with federal authorities. He called the claim that he accepted unemployment benefits “inaccurate information,” and said he did “not understand where the federal government’s getting their information.”
“I’m gonna have to go and fight to defend myself. The reality is, it’s a witch hunt,” Santos said.
He said he has “plenty of evidence” to show the federal government to prove his innocence.
“I’m going to fight my battle. I’m going to deliver. I’m going to fight the witch hunt. I’m going to take care of clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that,” Santos said.
Several Democrats and Republicans have come out to condemn Santos and call on him to resign or be “immediately expelled” from Congress following the news of his indictment.
When asked by reporters if he had plans to resign, Santos said “Not right now, nope,” and said, “I will not resign.” He also confirmed he would still be running for reelection.
“I’ve asked many times, I want to be judged by the work I do in the body, and I stay committed to that,” Santos said, adding that he is heading back to Washington, D.C., to vote on the GOP’s border security bill on Thursday.
Santos’s fellow New York Republicans have joined calls for Santos’s removal.
“As a retired NYPD detective, I am confident the justice system will fully reveal Congressman Santos’ long history of deceit, and I once again call on this serial fraudster to resign from office,” Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) tweeted.
However, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said he will not call for his resignation unless he is convicted of a crime.
“I appreciate leadership for being patient at this time and for allowing the process to play out,” Santos said of McCarthy and other House leaders. “I think this is about innocent until proven guilty … I have my right to fight to prove my innocence as the government has the right to fight to try to find me guilty.”
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Sen. Mitt Romney (R-MT) said Santos should “resign immediately.”
“He should have resigned a long time ago,” Romney said.
