George Santos likely to accept plea deal as he blames his campaign for his lies

Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is reportedly negotiating a plea deal for the 23 federal charges of campaign finance fraud even though he initially pleaded “not guilty” to all charges. He is also now claiming that he isn’t responsible for the massively dishonest personal biography that he campaigned on before being elected to Congress.

A legal filing recently introduced in the proceedings against Santos read, “The parties are presently engaged in plea negotiations with the goal of resolving this matter without the need for a trial,” according to ABC News. Additionally, Santos himself said, “A plea is not off the table,” when asked about it in a weekend interview with CBS New York chief political correspondent Marcia Kramer.

Related: Gay congressman cosponsors bill to stop expelled members like George Santos from getting a pension

Santos is eligible to receive numerous government perks despite being expelled for fraud.

Santos, whose trial is scheduled for September 9, 2024, has felt increased pressure to take after his own former campaign finance chief Nancy Marks and fundraiser Sam Miele both pleaded guilty to charges during the past two months.

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Marks said Santos knowingly filed false campaign finance information with the federal government to attract more donors to support his campaign. Her lawyer indicated that she’d be willing to testify against Santos in his criminal trial. Miele pleaded guilty to wire fraud that he committed while fundraising for Santos. Miele received 15% of every donation he solicited.

When asked about Marks’s claims, Santos replied, “I’m a candidate. Candidates do not handle money. Candidates do not handle finances. Candidates do not handle filings. I don’t even know what the [Federal Election Commission] filing system looks like.”

He added, “People will say whatever they have to say, cut whatever deal they have to cut in order to save their hide…. I’m not accusing [Marks] of [lying]. All I’m saying is she has her story. I’m going to come with my facts and I’m going tell my side.”

However, pressure for a plea deal mounted even more last month after November 16. On that day, the House Ethics Committee issued a report accusing Santos of illegally spending campaign funds on luxury goods, OnlyFans subscriptions, and cosmetic Botox treatments.

While the committee’s report didn’t suggest any legal actions against Santos, fewer than 24 hours after releasing the report, the committee chair, Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS), introduced a resolution to expel Santos from the House. The House voted to expel Santos in a 311-114 vote on December 1.

Since his expulsion, Santos has been making money creating personalized videos on the Cameo platform. In his aforementioned weekend interview with Kramer, Santos claimed that his largely fake campaign biography — which he previously admitted fabricating due to “stupidity” and “insecurity” — was actually falsified by an unnamed “former campaign staffer.”

“I was uncomfortable with it,” Santos said. “I have plenty of emails pushing back that I didn’t feel comfortable or attached to that bio.”

“But they told you, ‘This is how you get elected,’” said Kramer.

“This is how we move forward,” Santos said.

Santos has provided no substantial proof to back up his previous biographical claims that his grandparents escaped the Holocaust, that he attended the Horace Mann preparatory school, that his mother died in connection to the September 11th terrorist attacks, or that he lost four employees in the June 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting.

Santos was part of Rio’s drag scene in the late 2000s (despite initially claiming that he was never a drag queen). Santos also denied an accusation of check fraud in Brazil but later formally confessed to it. Some have questioned whether he married his ex-wife just so that she could obtain U.S. citizenship.

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