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George Santos Impeached

Alyssia Halvorsen

BBC News


Apparently there is a limit to the number of illegal things you can do in US politics. Congressman George Santos learned this lesson this past December when he was expelled from congress on counts of ethical violations and dozens of criminal charges in a historic moment.


Santos has been accused of lying dozens of times throughout his career. The topics of his lies range from his education and employment history, to his family and his childhood. In January 2023 Santos became a U.S. representative of New York's 3rd Congressional District. In December of 2023, he was expelled from congress on accusations of fraud, federal charges, and multiple ethics violations. 


Santos’s federal charges are numerous and diverse. Of his 13 federal charges, he was charged with wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and lying to congress. To these charges, Santos pleaded not guilty.


However, his criminal history did not begin in the US. In 2008 the Brazilian government charged Santos with fraud. Santos never appeared in court, leaving the issue unresolved.


His financials were not the only area of contention. Santos has been accused of lying in many aspects of his personal life, some affecting his work and some not. On his resume, he stated that he graduated from Baruch College in 2010. However, the school has no record of him attending. According to Santos he also attended the prestigious New York University, MBA class of 2013, however the university also cannot locate proof that he attended. Professionally, in 2017 Santos stated in court that he worked at Goldman Sachs. In an audio Santos can be heard saying to the judge “I’m an aspiring politician, and I work for Goldman Sachs.” Later, Santos admitted that he never worked directly for the company. 


Perhaps one of Santos’s most famous lies is about his mothers death, and its relation to 9/11. Santos once described how his mother was in the south tower on 9/11, and that the cancer she died from was a direct result of her presence that day. However, there is no record of his mother working in the World Trade Center. Even more damning, is that documents show that his mother was not in the United States between 1999 to 2003.


Finally Santos’ lies seem to have caught up to him, as the republican was voted out of congress with much more than the two thirds majority needed. Santos’ departure has left a power vacuum that some politicians are desperate to fill. Currently, his position remains open.


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