As Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., intended to complete his second-to-last day in Congress, he was determined to go out the same way he came in: as a scandal-plagued curiosity attracting maximum attention.
The serial fabulist, indicted on 23 federal felony counts, held a news conference at the Capitol grounds, railing against the precedent being set with his scheduled expulsion vote on his final day in Congress. Dressed in navy Ferragamo loafers, he was surrounded by reporters lured by a promise of “big news.”
He introduced a motion to expel Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., who recently pleaded guilty to pulling a fire alarm in a House office building. Santos claimed his impending expulsion vote was “all theater for the cameras, and it’s theater for the microphones.”
Being at the center of scandals of his own making may have been traumatic, but it was also exhilarating. His final run as a lead in the play he described as his “year from hell” passed with the dodging of cameras and walking with a horde of reporters as a committee-less congressman.
As he settled into his second performance of the day, Santos bemoaned the bad optics of a garbage truck driving by and expressed an oddly calm demeanor, considering his circumstances.
During the event that followed, some journalists asked Santos whether he might run for governor of New York. He also expressed that job offers were already pouring in, and he planned to write a book.
Last, Santos scoffed at the idea of using the lifetime floor privileges granted to former members of Congress. He expressed uncertainty about serving time in prison and acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations against him.
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