George Santos – latest: GOP Rep Nick LaLota sides with Mitt Romney and brands Santos a ‘sociopath’

Follow for updates on the latest lies and scandals swirling round the Republican congressman

George Santos: The imposter in Congress | On The Ground

Scandal-plagued congressman George Santos is facing further criticism from members of his own party, with fellow New York Republican Nick LaLota branding him a “sociopath”.

On Wednesday, Mr LaLota weighed in on the spat between Mr Santos and Senator Mitt Romney after the two men had a heated exchange at Tuesday night’s State of the Union.

Mr Romney told Mr Santos “you don’t belong here” and criticised him for “trying to shake hands” with the president given “he’s under an ethics investigation”.

Mr Santos fired back saying the senator’s snub was “not very Mormon of him”.

Mr LaLota sided with Mr Romney and agreed Mr Santos “does not deserve to be in Congress.”

“He’s a sociopath, George Santos. He looks for that attention. Even the negative attention drives him. It’s become an embarrassment and a distraction to the Republicans in the House,” he told CNN.

At the SOTU, Mr Santos also sparked fury from the 9/11 community for taking a volunteer firefighter as his guest – after he was accused of lying about his mother dying in the attacks.

John Feal, 9/11 activist, told The Independent Mr Santos is “using the 9/11 community for his redemption tour”.

Key points

• New York Republican Nick LaLota brands Santos ‘a sociopath'
• George Santos fires back at Mitt Romney: ‘It wasn't very Mormon of him’
• Mitt Romney tells Santos ‘you don’t belong here’ at State of the Union
• George Santos takes 9/11 responder to SOTU – after lie that mother died in attacks
• 9/11 responder John Feal blasts Santos for ‘using 9/11 community as his redemption tour’
• New York constituents travel to DC to demand resignation

[9 February 2023 10:45 · Rachel Sharp]

George Santos’ latest resume lie? He produced Spider-Man on Broadway

George Santos has yet another accusation of deceiving people for campaign donations to answer for.

The latest accusations come from Bloomberg, which reports that the congressman himself told multiple people that he was involved in the production of the Broadway flop Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark during his bid for a House seat in 2022 — a false fact that was apparently part of his pitch for donations.

The news triggered a statement of condemnation from the show’s actual producers, who reached out to Entertainment Weekly through a spokesperson: “Of all the tribulations the producers of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark had to endure, we are very pleased, proud and relieved to report working with George Santos was not one of them.”

[9 February 2023 11:15 · John Bowden]

Romney reveals what was said between him and George Santos

Mitt Romney, GOP senator from Utah, spoke to reporters after Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday about his confrontation before the speech with George Santos.

Mr Romney told reporters: “I don’t know the exact words I said. He shouldn’t have been there. Look, he’s a sick puppy.”

“I didn’t expect he’d be standing there trying to shake hands with every Senator and the President of the United States,” added the Utah Republican.

“He says he embellished his record. Embellishing is saying you got an A when you got an A minus,” Mr Romney said. “Lying is saying you graduated from a college you didn’t even attend and he shouldn’t be in Congress, and they’re going to go through the process and hopefully get him out, but he shouldn’t be there and if he had any shame at all he wouldn’t be there.”

[9 February 2023 11:45 · John Bowden]

McCarthy responds to Romney’s jab at Santos

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy responded on Wednesday to Mitt Romney’s suggestion that he should tell George Santos to resign.

Watch below, via CNN’s Manu Raju:

[9 February 2023 12:15 · John Bowden]

George Santos fires back at Mitt Romney and says SOTU snub ‘wasn’t very Mormon of him’

George Santos has responded to reporters after being confronted by Mitt Romney on the floor of the House Tuesday evening.

The New York Republican took offense to Mr Romney’s incensed remarks; the Utah senator told reporters after Joe Biden’s State of the Union address that he had told Mr Santos that he did not belong in Congress and should resign.

[9 February 2023 12:45 · John Bowden]

VOICES: Enough is enough, George Santos

Susan Wagner writes:

A busload of 50 constituents representing NY-03 are on their way to Washington DC to confront Speaker Kevin McCarthy and demand that he take action to remove George Santos from office. Every day Santos remains in Congress is an insult to the more than 700,000 residents of NY-03. It leaves us without meaningful representation in Congress – and we are angry.

We are making sure McCarthy hears us as it seems our voices have not travelled from Long Island, despite the 24/7 coverage by local, national, and international press.

Santos is a grifter and now he is grifting off the US taxpayer. So long as he has a seat in Congress, he receives a salary of 174,000 a year and benefits. He made a fool of our district, he made a fool of the Republican party, and now he is making a fool of the US taxpayers. Allowing an individual with this track record to remain in Congress defies common sense. The US Constitution anticipated a George Santos and provided an escape hatch in such a scenario —McCarthy can call for a vote and when two thirds vote in favor of his expulsion, Santos is out. So why hasn’t McCarthy called for one?

Read more:

[9 February 2023 13:15 · John Bowden]

9/11 activist blasts George Santos for taking survivor to State of the Union after tragedy ‘lies’: ‘Piece of s***’

9/11 first responder and activist John Feal has blasted George Santos for inviting a volunteer firefighter to the State of the Union following his alleged lies about the tragedy – as he claimed the congressman has made further false claims to survivors of the terror attacks.

Speaking to The Independent on Tuesday morning, Mr Feal said that the disgraced Republican congressman is “using the 9/11 community for his redemption tour” and is “disrespecting” all the lives that were lost and continue to be lost because of that day.

“Every time George Santos says 9/11 it disrespects those we lost and those we continue to lose,” he said.

“9/11 is a wound that doesn’t go away… And he’s making it hurt.

“He’s a piece of s*** and I can never forgive him. He’s a vile, repugnant, disgusting human being.”

[9 February 2023 13:45 · Rachel Sharp]

Nancy Mace mocks George Santos and Trump for respective lies – about college volleyball and 2020 election

Republican Rep Nancy Mace has mocked George Santos and Donald Trump for their respective lies – about college volleyball and the 2020 presidential election.

Speaking at the Washington Press Foundation on Wednesday night, the South Carolina congresswoman took aim at the two members of her own party over their falsehoods to the American people.

“I mean who lies about playing college volleyball. If you’re going to lie make it about something big, like you actually won the 2020 presidential election,” she said, according to AP journalist Farnoush Amiri.

Ms Mace has previously called on Mr Santos to resign telling The Independent last month: “I mean, if you look at the allegations about his campaign finance, there are serious issues there.”

[9 February 2023 15:17 · John Bowden]

Here’s how George Santos could still be removed from office

George Santos’s colleagues in the House could end up being the final arbiters of judgement for the scandal-ridden New York Republican.

Despite wave after wave of revelations surrounding his past and present fictions and lies, the embattled congressman has remained adamant that he will remain in office. Even in the face of members of his own party calling for his ouster, Mr Santos has stood firm.

But none of that may matter if the machinations of the US House of Representatives conspire against him.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has now confirmed that Santos is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

“Ethics is moving through, and if ethics finds something, we’ll take action. Right now we’re not allowing him to be on committees from the standpoint of the questions that have arisen,” he said.

[9 February 2023 15:55 · John Bowden]

New York Democrat says Santos removal is ‘going to have to come from the top’

New York’s Democratic Congressman Dan Goldman went in on George Santos on Tuesday during a press conference attended by the New York Republican’s constituents on Capitol Hill.

“So now they’re going to punt to the Ethics Committee. Now they’re going to make the case ‘Oh, well, we have to wait to see what the ethics committee is going to do,’” he said.

“But let’s remember the ethics complaint and the ethics investigation is only going to focus on his financial disclosures and his campaign finance because the law to this point does not prohibit someone from lying about their education, from lying about their employment history, from lying about their military experience from lying about their ethnicity from lying up and down the level,” he added.

[9 February 2023 16:59 · John Bowden]

Santos responds to Romney’s snub

George Santos has responded to reporters after being confronted by Mitt Romney on the floor of the House Tuesday evening at the State of the Union.

The New York Republican took offense to Mr Romney’s incensed remarks; the Utah senator told reporters after Joe Biden’s State of the Union address that he had told Mr Santos that he did not belong in Congress and should resign.

And in his response, he took shots at Mr Romney’s Mormon faith.

Read more: