Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
Embattled and oft-lampooned Republican Congressman George Santos was arrested on Wednesday after an FBI probe ended in 13 federal charges, Reuters reported.
Santos was charged with 13 counts in the indictment, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday. Charges include 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 House of Representatives.
CNN reported Tuesday that Santos, a first-term New York representative who admitted to lying about his background while on the campaign trail, had been charged in New York’s eastern district.
As of this writing, neither Santos nor the Justice Department has offered any comment.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CNN only that he’d “look at the charges.”
LIES, LAUNDERING, AND UNLIKELY ENEMIES
Santos has faced calls to resign since before he was even sworn in last January. His fellow New York Republicans view him as a liability to the conservatives’ continued control of the House and future electoral hopes in the Empire State.
“I’m not surprised,” Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) told CNN. “I understand this is where it was headed.” She added, “I would love to see someone new run because I can tell you that we will hold that seat and so the sooner Santos leaves, the sooner we can get someone in there that is not a liar.”
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) reiterated his position that Santos should resign.
Santos is the focus of a series of legal and ethical probes. Beyond his federal issue, Santos also faces a House ethics investigation as well as a county-level investigation.
Among the more noteworthy of the allegations thus far levied against Santos are that he lied about his work and education history, violated campaign finance and federal conflict-of-interest laws, oversaw a credit card scheme, and scammed money meant for a dying dog.
Coincidentally, Santos’ Twitter feed has been filled with talk of court proceedings, just not his own. He has posted frequently in defense of Miles Guo, a Chinese dissident who is also charged with fraud in the United States.
“Doctor DEATH Anthony Fauci belongs in prison, not the CCP’s No. 1 enemy Miles Guo,” Santos tweeted Monday in his most recent post.