Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-NY) insisted that voters in New York’s third congressional district do not care about his lies as he seeks a second term in office.
In an interview with CNN, Santos argued that his constituents didn’t vote for him based on his biography.
“Nobody knew my biography. Nobody opened my biography who voted for me in the campaign,” Santos said.
“Nobody elected me because I played volleyball or not. Nobody elected me because I graduated college or not,” he added. “People elected me because I said I’d come here to fight the swamp, I’d come here to lower inflation, create more jobs, make life more affordable, and the commitment to America.”
Santos has admitted to lying on his resume while campaigning for office, including that he graduated from Baruch College and New York University, earning degrees in finance and economics. He also claimed to have worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs though neither financial firms have proof of his employment.
Santos is currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee and faces 23 felony counts of crimes including wire fraud, credit card fraud, aggravated identity theft and falsifying records. He has pleaded not guilty.
A resolution to expel Santos failed in Congress for the second time this week on 179-213 vote, but supporters of the measure say they plan to try and boot Santos again in the future if he is convicted or after the House Ethics Committee release their report.
Santos told CNN that even if the measure to oust him from Congress is successful, he would “absolutely” run for re-election.
“Look, could I have won the general election last time? Nobody said I could,” he said. “Elections are tricky. There’s no predetermined outcome.”
