Rep. George Santos denies new charges he stole campaign donors' IDs, made unauthorized credit card charges

WASHINGTON — Rep. George Santos said Wednesday he will fight a new slate of federal criminal charges to “the bitter end” and resisted renewed calls for his expulsion from Congress.

“I’m pretty much denying every last bit of charges,” Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) told reporters at his office in the Longworth House Office Building.

On Tuesday, prosecutors unsealed a superseding indictment with 10 new charges including wire fraud and identity theft. Those charges were on top of the 13-count indictment earlier this year that alleged Santos defrauded campaign donors by spending campaign funds on his personal expenses including designer clothing. Long Island GOP Reps. Anthony D'Esposito and Nick LaLota said Wednesday they will introduce a motion to expel Santos from Congress.

The new charges allege Santos stole thousands of dollars from his campaign contributors by charging their credit cards without authorization. He also is accused of filing fraudulent fundraising reports to obtain financial support from national political groups for his congressional campaign.

Santos, who pleaded not guilty to the previous charges in May, said Wednesday he will not take a plea deal and is not in discussions for one.

"The reason is, I'm so strong in my convictions that I can prove my innocence," Santos said. He is expected to be arraigned on the new charges on Oct. 27. 

Asked about the new allegations, Santos appeared to place the responsibility on his former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, who last week pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to defraud the United States, stemming from her role in Santos’ 2022 campaign.

“I'm not blaming that on her; I'm just saying it wasn't me,” Santos said of the newest allegations. “I didn't handle the finances … That's why you pay treasurers and fundraisers and financial advisers for a campaign. That’s why you have these hefty campaign expenses. Why would I on God's green earth even handle a credit card? It was just not the case.”

Last week, Marks admitted she filed reports with the Federal Elections Commission and the Republican National Committee that included the names of false donors in order to artificially inflate the amount Santos raised to meet financial benchmarks necessary to receive financial assistance from the national committee.

Marks’ attorney, Ray Perini, did not respond to a phone message seeking comment on Wednesday.

Asked about the alleged false donors, Santos said he had created “target lists” of potential donors and put a dollar amount next to their names as a fundraising goal.

“It's not like I sent that and I said, ‘Here, go fraud these, go input these,’ ” Santos said.

Stanley Brand, a longtime ethics attorney who once served as counsel for the U.S. House, said federal prosecutors have increased pressure on Santos.

“They are really trying to bury him — as if the first indictment wasn’t enough," Brand said.

He added, “The sense I have is, the second indictment is because he hasn’t sought a deal on the first indictment. Now they’ve upped the ante.”

And, he said, “I just don’t understand his defense strategy.”

Santos rejected renewed calls for his expulsion and said he's still running for reelection.

“I’m entitled to due process,” Santos said.

D'Esposito (R-Island Park) and LaLota (R-Amityville) told reporters they planned on filing an expulsion measure Wednesday afternoon. Both said they believed the new charges would compel two-thirds of House members to vote for expulsion, despite previous failed attempts by House Democrats to do the same.

In May, Democrats filed a measure to expel Santos, but it was blocked by House Republicans, who voted instead to refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee, which is probing Santos' financial disclosures and his actions while in office.

D'Esposito made the motion to refer the Democrats' measure to the ethics committee, saying at the time: "I firmly believe this is the quickest way of ridding the House of Representatives of this scourge on government."

On Wednesday, D'Esposito told reporters he believed the ethics panel "has been a little busy, but it's time that we see results."

"After the latest indictment I think it's clear that he's not fit to serve in the House of Representatives," said D'Esposito.

Asked what was different about this latest effort to remove Santos, and whether Santos was entitled to due process before being removed, LaLota said: "I think there's some amount of process that folks who are accused of these things should be afforded; however, that amount of process is now behind us. It's time to move on."

The measure will need to wait on the election of a new House Speaker to proceed with a potential vote. House Republicans on Wednesday nominated Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was removed from his post last week after a group of conservative hard-liners forced a vote on his removal.

Scalise's nomination must now be put up for a full floor vote.

Santos had endorsed Scalise's opponent, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who previously told CNN he would not push for Santos' immediate removal before the ethics committee investigation was complete. Scalise has not yet publicly stated his opinion on whether Santos should be removed.

Santos told reporters his interactions with Scalise were limited, noting that since he arrived in Washington in January, he has had "maybe one exchange" with Scalise.

Santos said he also will continue with his reelection campaign for New York's 3rd Congressional District. More than 20 candidates have entered the race for the seat that includes Nassau and parts of Queens, including former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), who announced his bid to retake the seat on Tuesday morning.