George Santos: 5 Things to Know About the New York Congressman Expelled from the House
George Santos will be the subject of a new documentary by Fyre Fraud documentary filmmaker Jenner Furst. Find out more about the former congressman here.
George Santos has been expelled from Congress. The House of Representatives voted to remove the Republican congressman, 35, on Friday, December 1, 2023. He’s the sixth member to be ousted in history, after a House Ethics Committee report accused him of breaking federal law, per The Associated Press. He was voted out of Congress as the House vote came in 311-114.
Since Santos was elected, he’s been subject to much scrutiny, as he’s been accused of lying about many aspects of his background. He’s also currently in middle of a legal battle after he was charged with fraud in October, but he has pleaded “not guilty.”
After his expulsion, Santos has become an unlikely viral star. Shortly after making his exit, he began making Cameos, where viewers can buy a personalized message from the disgraced former politician for $500. He also sat down for an in-depth interview with comedian Ziwe. Most recently, it’s been announced that George will be the subject of a new documentary by Jenner Furst, according to The New York Times. Jenner has made popular films, like Time: The Kalief Browder Story, which focused on a former inmate who died by suicide, and Fyre Fraud, which focused on the disastrous Fyre Fest music festival. Keep reading to find out more about the former congressman.
George Santos Is the First Congressman Expelled in 21 Years
Santos is the sixth person in history to be expelled from the House of Representatives. The last congressman to be expelled was Democratic Ohio Rep. James A. Traficant in 2002. He was booted after being convicted of federal crimes. The first three congressmen to be expelled were in the 19th Century, and they were kicked out for supporting the Confederacy during the Civil War. The other congressman to be expelled, Michael J. Myers, was expelled after being convicted of bribery in 1980, per Maine News Center.
He Was Charged With a 23-count Indictment in October
Before he was expelled, Santos was charged in a 23-count indictment by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. He was charged with “one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, two counts of wire fraud, two counts of making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), two counts of falsifying records submitted to obstruct the FEC, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of access device fraud, in addition to the 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 United States House of Representatives,” according to a press release.
Santos has pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
He’s Been Accused of A LOT of Lies
Shortly after Santos was elected, many of his past statements and claims were subject to scrutiny. His lies range from false claims about his background to alleged false statements made to campaign donors. Some of the past claims that have been proven false included his background about where he went to high school and college and past employment on Wall Street, per Intelligencer. Some of the other claims that have been believed to be false included those made about starting an animal charity, that his mother’s death was caused by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and that his niece was kidnapped.
Some of the other alleged claims that came up in his House Ethics Committee report, include allegations that he spent campaign funds to make purchases at Hermes and on OnlyFans, plus personal travel and botox.
He’s Been Married to His Partner Since 2021
Santos has mostly avoided discussing his relationship status publicly. He’s openly gay, and he revealed that he’s married to a man named Matt, which he revealed in a post on X, following Senator Dianne Feinstein’s death in September 2023. After many followers pointed out that he hadn’t previously mentioned a husband, he claimed that they’d been married since November 2021 in an October post on X. “For those wondering and going nuts, this is Matt my husband since Nov 2021… I’m not sure where all the ‘hard launch’ comments came from,” he wrote.
While Santos campaigned on being openly gay, it was revealed that he was previously married to a woman from 2012 to 2019. It was revealed that he had divorced the woman in 2019, shortly before filing paperwork for his 2020 campaign, per The Daily Beast.
He Was Spoofed by Bowen Yang on ‘SNL’
Given all the controversy surrounding Santos, there was much to poke fun at, especially during Saturday Night Live. While many late-night hosts made fun of the ex-congressman’s claims and his legal woes, SNL star Bowen Yang has given his impression of Santos on quite a few occasions. He has portrayed the former representative on both “Weekend Update” and an “NFL on Fox” cold open.