George Santos unwittingly trolls former colleague on Cameo after House expulsion: Latest
Disgraced former Congressman charges $200 for single video greeting
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Former Congressman George Santos is selling videos on Cameo, the site where celebrities offer short greetings for a fee.
Mr Santos was expelled from the House on Friday after more than a hundred Republicans joined almost all Democrats in voting to remove him from the chamber.
The 35-year-old describes himself as a “former congressional ‘Icon’” on the site, where he charges $200 per video. In one message, he told the buyer to “live life, laugh, and let the haters hate because they’re always gonna hate”.
Options to request include holiday messages, birthday wishes, some gossip, a pep talk, a roast, or some advice.
Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman’s social media team sent in a request for Mr Santos to do a pep talk for “Bobby from Jersey” in reference to New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez who stepped down as chair of the foreign relations committee after being indicted for allegedly taking bribes and acting as a foreign agent.
Mr Santos has joined only a handful of lawmakers ever ousted from their role, following a damning 56-page report from the House Ethics Committee which outlined “substantial evidence” that Mr Santos violated federal law.
Botox, OnlyFans and a stay in the Hamptons: Key revelations from George Santos ethics report
The long-awaited House Ethics Committee investigation into George Santos landed hard – becoming the final nail in the coffin of the New York representative’s scandalous time on Capitol Hill.
The lengthy report from the committee published in early November stated that there was credible evidence to indicate that the Republican misused campaign funds for a wide range of personal expenses, committed fraud, and misled the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
It was a damning end to a months-long investigation which had, until then, been Mr Santos’s golden ticket to survive the repeated efforts by his fellow lawmakers — including Republicans from his own state — to kick him out of Congress.
His days were numbered and, on 1 December, Mr Santos was expelled from Congress in a historic vote.
House lawmakers voted 311 to 114 for his removal, with 105 Republicans joining with Democrats for his expulsion.
From a resume of lies to an OnlyFans scandal: George Santos’s many, many controversies
Facing a mountain of scandals and lies, George Santos was finally kicked out of Congress on 1 December.
Over 100 Republicans joined Democrats to vote overwhelmingly in favour of expelling the serial fabulist and accused fraudster from the House.
The move came in the wake of a damning report by the House Ethics Committee, which found that the embattled New York Republican engaged in “uncharged and unlawful conduct.”
Mr Santos has in fact been charged, too. In May, he was arrested and charged with 13 federal criminal counts, including wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds. A superseding indictment was later handed down in October, increasing the federal charges against Mr Santos to 23.
Bribes, treason and hay bales: The chaotic history of expulsions from Congress
Scandal-plagued New York Rep George Santos has now joined an exclusive group of people he never wanted to be part of: lawmakers who have been expelled from Congress.
On 1 December, Mr Santos became only the sixth lawmaker to lose an expulsion vote and be ousted from the House in American history – and only the third since 1861.
After two years of controversy, topped off with a damning House Ethics Committee report, House lawmakers voted 311 to 114 for his removal.
Though the entire GOP leadership opposed the expulsion, 105 Republicans joined with Democrats in pushing him out.
Mr Santos, 35, appeared to accept his fate in a broadcast on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, days earlier.
In the X Space event hosted by Monica Matthews, a rightwing personality, Mr Santos said: “I know I’m going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor.
“I have done the math over and over and it doesn’t look really good,” he said, claiming that he would wear his expulsion “like a badge of honour”.
The latest blow of many to Mr Santos’s short yet tumultuous political career came in the form of a 56-page report from the House Ethics Committee released in early November which outlined “substantial evidence” that Mr Santos violated federal law.
The incredible rise and dramatic fall of George Santos
Congressman George Santos’ shortlived tenure has been anything but dull — his rise to power and fall from grace have been equally mired in controversy.
After less than two years in Congress, his list of lies and scandals finally caught up with him, as he was ousted from Congress following the release of a damning House Ethics Committee report.
On 1 December, Mr Santos became only the sixth lawmaker ever to be expelled from the House, with a vote of 311 to 114.
Though the entire GOP leadership opposed his removal, 105 Republicans joined with Democrats in pushing him out.
The committee report appeared to be the final nail in the coffin, finding “substantial evidence” that Mr Santos had broken federal laws after finding “additional uncharged and unlawful conduct,” which included using campaign funds to make purchases at Hermes, Sephora and OnlyFans.
In 2022, Mr Santos was elected as the Republican Party’s first openly gay, non-incumbent member of Congress, and touted himself as a living embodiment of the American dream.
But he has since been exposed as a serial fabricator, and now an accused criminal.
Moment George Santos expelled from US House in landslide vote
George Santos has been expelled from the US House of Representatives after more than a hundred Republicans joined almost all Democrats in voting to remove him from the chamber.
Mr Santos has been ousted from his role following a damning 56-page report from the House Ethics Committee which outlined “substantial evidence” that he violated federal law.
The report claims Mr Santos used campaign money on Botox, OnlyFans, designer fashion and personal purchases.
A two-thirds majority was needed to expel the New York representative – 311 members backed his ouster while 114 voted against it and two members voted present.
Mr Santos is due to stand trial on 23 federal charges in September 2024.
VOICES: George Santos may be gone - but there will be more of his kind
George Santos got what he wanted.
I first realised this about the now-expelled New York Republican during the speaker’s race in October, when he started shouting at a pro-Palestinian activist who had questioned him earlier. I had caught him coming out of the meeting room in the Longworth House Office Building and asked him about Jim Jordan when he caught the activist and shouted “you are human scum.”
Immediately, all of the reporters moved from covering the GOP disarray and zeroed in on him, effectively turning it into a reality show. And that’s how he wanted it. He got all of the Washington press corps, the House Republican conference and even some Democrats to play along with his charade as he distracted from his legal troubles.
George Santos has been expelled from the House. What happens now?
The expulsion of scandal-ridden freshman Congressman George Santos has lit the fuse of a mad dash to replace him, with Democrats eager to reclaim the seat the infamous fabulist nabbed in the 2022 midterms.
Mr Santos was ousted on Friday after more than two-thirds of the House voted to remove him from the chamber. He was booted after a litany of scandals and criminal charges, with the unravelling of his political career beginning before he even took office in January of this year.
The last Republican to represent the area was Rep Rick Lazio, who left Congress after losing the New York Senate election in 2000 to then-First Lady and subsequent Secretary of State and Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
George Santos bitterly reacts to House expulsion: ‘To hell with this place’
Rep George Santos reacted bitterly to his expulsion from the House of Representatives after saying before the vote that he would leave “graciously”.
“The House spoke, that’s their vote. They just set new dangerous precedent for themselves,” he said after the vote, according to CNN.
He was asked if he would remain and utilize his nonmember privileges since he’s not yet convicted of any crimes, he said: “Why would I want to stay here? To hell with this place.”
“I had no skin in the game,” he added when asked if he knew he was about to be removed.
“You know what? As unofficially no longer a member of Congress, I no longer have to answer your questions,” he told the press.
He appeared on Fox & Friends on Friday morning ahead of the vote to expel him saying that he would leave the chamber “graciously” if pushed out.
“If it is God’s will to keep me here I will stay and if it is God’s will for me to leave I will do so graciously,” he said.
‘I am prepared to undertake the solemn responsibility of filling the vacancy in New York’s 3rd District'
New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X on Friday, “I am prepared to undertake the solemn responsibility of filling the vacancy in New York’s 3rd District”.
“The people of Long Island deserve nothing less,” she added.
The expulsion of scandal-ridden freshman Congressman George Santos has lit the fuse of a mad dash to replace him, with Democrats eager to reclaim the seat the infamous fabulist nabbed in the 2022 midterms.
Mr Santos was ousted on Friday after more than two-thirds of the House voted to remove him from the chamber. He was booted after a litany of scandals and criminal charges, with the unravelling of his political career beginning before he even took office in January of this year.
The last Republican to represent the area was Rep Rick Lazio, who left Congress after losing the New York Senate election in 2000 to then-First Lady and subsequent Secretary of State and Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Who voted to keep Santos in Congress? All of House GOP leadership, Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene
Less than half of a majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to expel former congressman George Santos, but the ones who did so came mostly from endangered districts, swing states or were his fellow New Yorkers.
Mr Santos was one of 18 Republicans who in 2022 won in a district that had voted for President Joe Biden. All 17 of his fellow Biden-district Republicans--including his five fellow freshman Republicans in New York who won seats last year--voted to expel Mr Santos.
Other freshmen who flipped seats such as Reps Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon’s 5th district, Jen Kiggans of Virginia’s 2nd also voted to boot the 35-year-old. Many of them know that Mr Santos is a drag on their brand and needed to kick him out. For instance, Rep John Duarte of California’s 13th district, who also voted to expel, only won his district by 564 votes.
In addition, other Republicans such as Reps Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick, who are considered more moderate Republicans who voted to certify the 2020 presidential election results, also voted to kick him out.
At the same time, House Republican leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise; fellow New Yorker and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer all voted to keep him in Congress.
Similarly, many archconservative Republicans such as Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, and Tim Burchett of Tennessee voted to keep him in office.
Several other Republicans from swing districts voted to keep him in office. Rep Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who only won her re-election in Colorado’s 3rd district by 546 votes last year, voted against expulsion.
Rep Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who had called for his resignation, also voted against expulsion.
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