Republican George Santos labelled ‘conman’ by predecessor amid awkward start in Congress
Bad day at work: US Republican George Santos’ lying and criminal activity will see the openly gay congressman removed from office. (Getty Images/Win McNamee)
The start of Republican George Santos’ career as a House representative in the United States Congress is facing an increasing number of hurdles.
Footage from inside the House, as the new Congress gathered, shows Santos sitting alone, being on his phone, and yawning as no one else engages with him.
Santos was elected as the representative from New York’s 3rd congressional district in 2022.
Upon arrival at Capitol Hill, Santos, who is gay, ignored questions from media as he walked down a hallway, avoiding eye contact with reporters.
Questions asked include if he feels qualified to serve in Congress, if he thinks his constituents can trust him after he lied about his background, how he can reassure them about campaign promises, and whether he hopes to serve a full term in the position.
Other footage from inside Capitol Hill appears to show him approaching his office but then walking away after seeing media stationed nearby.
In an opinion column published in the New York Times on the same day, Santos’ predecessor, Democrat Tom Suozzi, said he was “being succeeded by a conman”, which saddened him.
He said Santos taking up the role would “diminish our Congress, our country and … his constituents”.
Suozzi highlighted that being sworn into Congress would see Santos take “an oath to ‘bear true faith’ to the constitution and [to] take this obligation without any ‘purpose of evasion.'”
“I’ve lost track of how many evasions and lies Mr Santos has told about himself,” he wrote.
Santos has already admitted to lying about his educational background, religion, and work history during his election campaign.
New allegations have since emerged, including Santos claiming his mother died because of 9/11 but, according to researchers in a New York Times article, she died in 2016 unrelated to the terrorist attacks.
He’s also the subject of a reopened criminal fraud case in Brazil, where he is accused of using a stolen chequebook and false name.
It’s also alleged Santos was charging people up to $500 to attend his swearing-in ceremony – which could be illegal, NBC New York reported.
Amidst this all, Santos has not yet been sworn in either. It can’t happen until a Speaker of the House has been decided, which won’t happen until at least Wednesday (4 January) following three inconclusive votes a day earlier.
In an apparently genuine, but unfortunate and ill-timed, mishap for Santos, a now-deleted press release was uploaded to his website stating he had been sworn in on Tuesday.
In his Times opinion piece, Suozzi, who retired from Congress at the end of 2022, went on to say that Santos “must be held accountable: he must be removed by Congress or by prosecutors, because there is no indication that he will be moved by conscience to voluntarily resign”.
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