George Santos threatens ex-colleagues after expulsion from Congress
Washington DC - Former Representative George Santos hasn't been handling his recent expulsion from Congress very well, as he has been lashing out at his ex-colleagues on social media in the days since the historic vote.
Hours after he was officially expelled from the House last week, Santos began a weekend posting spree on social media, calling out various House members in an attempt to equate their alleged wrongdoings with his own.
On Friday, he shared a video of Texas Rep. Brandon Williams yelling at one of his staffers, which Santos claims will only get him "a slap on the wrist."
He also took aim at New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis in a post, describing her as a "dirty dishonorable swamp creature" and accusing her of illegal insider trading.
"They said I was lying today on the house floor when I said it's all about late partying and drinking," Santos wrote in a post, referencing claims he made about his coworkers in a recent interview. "Here you have some solid proof, America!"
On Saturday, Santos laid out how he plans to submit four ethics reports to the Office of Congressional Ethics on Monday regarding the actions of four of his former colleagues: Malliotakis for her "questionable" trading, Rep. Mike Lawler for "questionable campaign finance violations," Rep. Nick LaLota for allegedly having "stolen public funds from the taxpayers of NY," and Rep. Robert Menendez, the son of embattled Senator Bob Menendez, who he says had knowledge of his father's wrongdoings.
Santos also called for a House Republican with the "testicular fortitude" to reintroduce his resolution to expel Rep. Jamaal Bowman for pulling the fire alarm in a Capitol building during a vote back in September.
Who will replace George Santos in Congress?
Santos, who is currently facing 23 criminal charges, became the sixth member of Congress ever to be expelled last week after a report from the House Ethics Committee "unanimously concluded" that Santos knowingly filed false campaign financial reports and engaged in fraudulent conduct.
Those who opposed the vote to expel Santos argued that doing so before the congressman is given a chance to argue his case in court could set a dangerous precedent in the future when similar situations arise.
Now that the decision has been made, the concern has shifted to who will fill the now-vacant seat to represent New York's 3rd Congressional District and how the Republican Party could lose its majority in the House if the replacement is a Democrat.
In a recent interview, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz pointed out that more Republicans may soon leave the House, making the move to expel Santos "tactically stupid" for the party, per Newsweek.
"Our willingness to self mutilate on these things really impairs our ability to get the job done," Gaetz added.
Cover photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP