George Santos Didn’t Compare Himself to Jesus, but He Came Pretty Close

This is Totally Normal Quote of the Day, a feature highlighting a statement from the news that exemplifies just how extremely normal everything has become.

“All of a sudden George Santos is the Mary Magdalene of United States Congress.” —Rep. George Santos, on Friday, speaking on an X Space about his forthcoming expulsion vote

It’s been one year since Rep. George Santos of New York was elected to Congress, and his tenure has endured a lot—a disturbing New York Times investigation, followed by a damning federal indictment, and most recently, a scathing House ethics committee report. His day of reckoning is fast approaching, with the House expected to hold an expulsion vote for Santos this week.

Despite the serious threats he’s facing, Santos doesn’t seem to be sweating it. In fact, he’s gone full scorched earth to discredit the allegations against him. On Friday, he joined an X Space discussion with Monica Matthews, a conservative media personality and host of the podcast Life, Love and Liberty, and claimed that due process is dead—“evaporated,” said Santos.

The congressman spent much of the conversation disparaging the House ethics committee, which began investigating Santos back in March, and released its findings this month. It concluded that Santos had grossly misused his campaign funds and willfully violated campaign finance rules. Congressional investigators found Santos unlawfully paid his rent, spent $6,000 on sneakers from luxury retailer Ferragamo, gambled at casinos, and indulged in Botox and OnlyFans, among many other personal purchases. He paid for all of it with money given to his campaign.

But to Santos, that report is incorrect and was fueled by “liberal organizations” looking to smear him and force him out of his seat. Speaking to Matthews, he claimed that he spoke with prominent Democrats and Republicans who believed the report was “not only flawed, it’s an embarrassment to the committee chair who allowed this to go to the floor.”

The tirade continued, with Santos going so far as to describe the report as a “biased political hit piece” that contained slanderous language and was hypocritical.

Santos’ colleagues feel differently. A group of House Republicans—hailing from Santos’ home state of New York, no less—introduced an expulsion measure last month after the Department of Justice charged him in a 23-count superseding indictment. Santos pleaded not guilty and faces trial in 2024, while his former campaign treasurer and aide pleaded guilty. Though that expulsion attempt failed, this time around it’s expected to succeed, with House ethics committee chairman Michael Guest, a Republican, filing the resolution himself. “The evidence uncovered in the Ethics Committee’s Investigative Subcommittee investigation is more than sufficient to warrant punishment,” said Guest. “And the most appropriate punishment is expulsion.”

Santos knows what’s coming, telling Matthews on X that “I’ve done the math over and over, and it doesn’t look really good.” The House has only expelled a member five times in its history, requiring a steep two-thirds majority to pass. Yet, Santos is standing, unapologetically, at the ready. “I don’t care. You want to expel me? I’ll wear it like a badge of honor,” he said.