George Santos, Calling Himself Mary Magdalene of Congress, Knows He’s Done

That didn’t stop him from unloading on his “felon” colleagues.

November 9, 2023, Washington, District of Columbia, USA: Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., gives a tour of the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Thursday, November 9, 2023. (Credit Image: © Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via ZUMA Press)Tom Williams/Zuma

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

As George Santos stares down an all but certain expulsion from Congress, the disgraced New York Republican came out swinging against his congressional colleagues, accusing some of having committed felonies and others of “getting drunk every night” while planning to sleep with lobbyists. 

“Within the ranks of the United States Congress, there are felons galore,” Santos said during a grievance-filled, three-hour appearance on X Spaces Friday evening. “There’s people with all sorts of sheisty backgrounds, and all of a sudden, George Santos is the Mary Magdalene of the United States Congress.”

“If you want to expel me, I’ll wear it like a badge of honor,” he continued. “I’ll be the sixth expelled member of Congress.” (About this assertion, Santos is in fact correct.)

The appearance was something of a swan-song-rant for the freshman Republican, whose brief and ignominious career in Congress is likely to finally come to its humiliating end after Mississippi’s Rep. Michael Guest, GOP chairman of the House Ethics Committee, introduced a resolution to expel Santos once Congress returns from Thanksgiving break. The third such effort this year, the latest resolution is expected to finally be successful after last week’s release of a House investigation that concluded that Santos had “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.” The report also revealed that Santos allegedly used campaign funds on Botox and OnlyFans.

Moments after the report’s release, Santos announced that he was not going to seek reelection. But on Friday, the congressman claimed that the two were unrelated.

“I’m not running for reelection, not because this was a damning report. I’m not running for reelection because I don’t want to work with a bunch of hypocrites.”

What’s independent journalism worth to you?

Our news will always be free to read, watch, and listen to online. But what is its value?

Unbiased reporting on the issues that billionaire-owned newsrooms won’t touch. Fearless research into the dark corners of government and corporations. Ferociously fact-checked news that focuses on the facts, and the facts alone.

It IS free for you and every reader, viewer, and listener to utilize. But it’s not free for our team to make. So, what’s it worth to you? Let us know by making a donation: Make a one-time donation today to support this work. Or make a monthly sustaining donation to help us plan for the future.

Whatever you choose, know that you’re supporting more independent, investigative journalism in a time when we need it most.

What’s independent journalism worth to you?

Our news will always be free to read, watch, and listen to online. But what is its value?

Unbiased reporting on the issues that billionaire-owned newsrooms won’t touch. Fearless research into the dark corners of government and corporations. Ferociously fact-checked news that focuses on the facts, and the facts alone.

It IS free for you and every reader, viewer, and listener to utilize. But it’s not free for our team to make. So, what’s it worth to you? Let us know by making a donation: Make a one-time donation today to support this work. Or make a monthly sustaining donation to help us plan for the future.

Whatever you choose, know that you’re supporting more independent, investigative journalism in a time when we need it most.

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

INDEPENDENT. BECAUSE OF YOU.

Mother Jones has no billionaires calling the shots—just readers like you making fearless reporting possible

Donate