George Santos voting on employment fraud bill – 24 hours after being arrested for employment fraud

Rep George Santos returned to the Capitol on Thursday following his arrest a day earlier for unemployment fraud — just in time to vote on a bill dealing with that exact topic.

It was a perfectly scripted moment to cap off a wild two-day media circus around his indicment in New York on 13 criminal counts. He has pleaded not guilty, and vowed to fight the charges in court.

On Thursday, moments after entering the building, the congressman was bombarded by questions about whether it was right for him to vote on such a bill while he himself was under criminal indictment for an alleged violation of that statute. The House is set to vote on that legislation this afternoon.

What’s more, Mr Santos is co-sponsor of the legislation being introduced, which would strengthen America’s fraud laws by extending the statute of limitations for such investigations and providing more incentives for states to investigate and uncover fraud.

“Well, allegations are not proof, right Rachel?” barked the Republican lawmaker at a journalist as he jogged up a flight of stairs away from gathered reporters.

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