By DAVE COLLINS (Associated Press)
Former U.S. Rep. George Santos of New York announced on Friday that he will no longer be a part of the Republican Party and will campaign as an independent to rejoin Congress after his expulsion following federal fraud allegations.
Santos took to social media to criticize the GOP-controlled House of Representatives' vote on Friday to pass a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills.
Santos expressed on X, formerly known as Twitter, "After today’s embarrassing showing in the house I have reflected and decided that I can no longer be part of the Republican Party. The Republican Party continues to lie and swindle its voter base. I in good conscience cannot affiliate myself with a party that stands for nothing and falls for everything."
Earlier this month, Santos announced that he would challenge Republican Rep. Nick LaLota in the GOP primary in an eastern Long Island district, different from the one he previously represented before being expelled. Among those competing to be the Democratic candidate for the seat is John Avlon, a former CNN anchor.
In December, Santos became only the sixth member in history to be expelled by fellow House colleagues, following a critical House Ethics Committee report that cited “overwhelming evidence” of lawbreaking by Santos.
Santos has pleaded not guilty to charges such as lying to Congress about his wealth, receiving undeserved unemployment benefits, and using campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses such as designer clothing.
A judge has tentatively scheduled the trial for September, after the primary.
Santos, who has admitted to lying about his job experience and college education during his previous campaign, was criticized again on Friday by New York Republicans, who also condemned him when he announced his candidacy.
“George Santos’ expulsion from Congress was good for the nation and his resignation from the Republican Party is good for commonsense conservatives,” LaLota said in a statement. “Santos can watch me defend this important swing district and the November election results from his prison cell as he’s being held accountable for stealing an election and ripping off donors.”
Jesse Garcia, the Suffolk County GOP chair, also weighed in.
“This is nothing more than the continuation of George Santos’ need for celebrity status,” Garcia said in a phone interview. “There is no appetite amongst the voters of the First District, Long Island or even the nation for the Santos clown car show to continue.”
In his X postings, Santos criticized LaLota for voting in favor of the spending package.
“ @nicklalota and @JohnAvlon ill see you boys in November!” Santos wrote, ending the tweet with a kissing emoji.
