George Santos
George Anthony Devolder Santos (born July 22, 1988) is an American politician. He served as the U.S. representative for New York's 3rd congressional district from January to December 2023, before he was expelled from Congress.
George Santos | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 3rd district | |
| In office January 3, 2023 – December 1, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Suozzi |
| Succeeded by | Tom Suozzi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 22, 1988 |
| Political party | Independent (2024–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Republican (2019–2024) |
| Criminal information | |
| Criminal status |
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| Conviction(s) | Brazil: Felony check fraud |
Santos ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York's 3rd congressional district in 2020, but was defeated by incumbent Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi. Suozzi opted against seeking re-election in 2022, and Santos ran for Congress again. This time, Santos prevailed, defeating Democrat Robert Zimmerman. Santos, who is gay, is the first Republican to be openly LGBT before being elected to Congress.
Within six weeks of Santos's election, news outlets began reporting that much of his biography appeared to be fabricated. Santos admitted to having lied about his education and employment history, while his disclosures about his business activities, income, and personal wealth were inconsistent with one another. Further, Santos had not disclosed his criminal history or the existence of lawsuits against him. Santos was sworn in as a member of the House in January 2023, but faced ongoing media scrutiny as well as demands for his resignation from members of both parties.
On December 1, 2023, following an investigation by the House Ethics Committee and the filing of federal criminal charges, the House of Representatives voted 311–114 to expel Santos. He has pleaded not guilty to the 23 fraud-related charges against him. Santos is the first member of the House to be expelled without having been convicted of a crime or having fought for the Confederacy. He is also the sixth member of the House in U.S. history to be expelled, and the first Republican.