Rep. George Santos (R-NY) Indicted on 13 Counts in NY Federal Court

lev radin / shutterstock.com
lev radin / shutterstock.com

Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was taken into custody on May 10th and without incident as the 13-charge indictment against him was unsealed in Federal Court. Facing a 13-count indictment, the 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. This is a litany of lies and made-up stories that make even the most seasoned of politicians blush with shame.

From Melville on Long Island with the FBI to Central Islip in the Federal Courthouse, he was shipped around before arriving at federal court in New York’s Eastern District. When Santos left DC on Tuesday night, his staffers poured out of their offices in a rushed and hushed manner. Spokeswoman Naysa Woomer refused to speak to any reporters who shouted and chased after her.

Meanwhile, the freshman Congressman who represented sections of Long Island, as well as Queens, has seen multiple investigations in various jurisdictions as well as the House Ethics Committee. This horrific reputation he has stems from decades ago with menial dishonesty all the way up through criminal actions while running the campaign trail.

Since being elected, Santos has faced accusations of breaking campaign finance laws, frequently violating federal conflict of interest laws, running a credit card fraud scheme, and lying about where he had attended school and worked. Yet that’s not the most offensive.

That distinction goes to his decision to steal cash that was meant for the dying dog of an Iraq War veteran. Pretending to be a man by the name of Anthony Devolder, he proceeded to claim he ran a 501(c)(3) nonprofit named Friends of Pets United. A charity the IRS has no records of ever existing.

Back in 2016, Santos ran a GoFundMe claiming to pay for the removal of the tumors from the service dog of Navy veteran Richard Osthoff. After raising over $3,000 for the treatment, Santos failed to come through with the funds. As a result, the dog named Sapphire died from her condition.

Speaking with ABC News when the story broke back in January 2023, he said he was “glad to get the ball rolling with the big-wigs,” as the FBI became involved. “I don’t ever want to see another person, especially another veteran, go through this again.” For their end of things, GoFundMe refused to comment on the case but said it would cooperate with the investigation.

According to investigations, Santos learned the way Republicans tended to vote in midterm elections, and ran everything from that playbook to a T. Striking the perfect time with other candidates, the GOP was able to flip four seats throughout the suburbs and take a narrow house majority.

Now, NY Republicans are distancing themselves from Santos, with many admitting they never actually knew him and certainly knew nothing of his horrific past. Given how Santos pulled much of his past out of thin air, it is certainly apparent that he is nothing more than a failed actor looking to manipulate the American people for his benefit.

Elected officials have all suggested various processes for how, but all agree something must be done. Many are recommending an Ethics Committee investigation be launched into his conduct, and others recommending he simply be charged criminally. Those pushing for a committee investigation seem to want him to stay and have his day, while others insist he should resign if charged.

Should he resign, they could have time to get someone else in office before the next election. But if not, they are stuck with a non-voting but occupied seat until a change can be elected.

For the GOP in NY, these are trying times. An investigation like this is incredibly damning to the progress conservatives have made in getting away from the left’s socialist agenda. Santos is not what the GOP is about. He and others like him have no place in American politics, instead, they belong on the sidelines while good and honest Americans run the country.