Rep. George Santos refuses to resign, blasts fraud case as ‘witch hunt’

[mystery-ak]

 Rep. George Santos refuses to resign, blasts fraud case as ‘witch hunt’
By Kyle Schnitzer and
Priscilla DeGregory   
May 10, 2023 3:45pm

Lying Long Island Rep. George Santos said he will not resign — and blasted the fraud and money laundering charges against him as a “witch hunt” — after he was released from federal custody on $500,000 bond Wednesday.

Santos, 34, was mobbed by reporters and cameras as he left federal court in Central Islip — telling the crowd that he still planned to run for re-election and would be heading back to Washington.

“Now I’m going to have to go fight to defend myself,” Santos said. “The reality is that it’s a witch hunt.”

The Republican congressman — infamous for concocting much of his background — claimed he would be sharing information about his finances with the feds “to dispel their accusations against me.”

“I will not resign,” he told reporters.

As for whether the charges will impact his 2024 re-election bid, Santos said: “That’s not up for me to know. Elections are very tricky and it’s up to the people. I trust them to decide what’s best.”

Earlier, a put-together Santos appeared in court wearing a blue blazer, white shirt, black sweater and khakis and calmly entered a “not guilty” plea to a 13-count indictment as a packed courtroom looked on.

Santos is accused of embezzling $50,000 in campaign money for designer duds and personal expenses, cheating his way to COVID unemployment pay and lying to Congress about his income.

more
https://nypost.com/2023/05/10/santos-says-he-wont-resign-blasting-fraud-case-as-witch-hunt/

[libertybele]

...hmm... I haven't been really following this so I don't know indeed if this is a witch hunt or not?

[Fishrrman]

bele claims:
"I haven't been really following this so I don't know indeed if this is a witch hunt or not?"

C'mon... whaddaya think...?

If this guy was a dem-communist, the other side would be fighting tooth-and-nail in his defense.

Then again, they probably wouldn't have to, because there would be no "investigation" of him in any case.

[mystery-ak]

FBI Used Congressional Staff as Confidential Informants and Human Assets to Build Case Against Congressman George Santos
May 10, 2023 | Sundance |

Congressman George Santos was indicted on thirteen counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and lying on financial disclosure forms during his short period in Congress.  He was taken into custody Wednesday in New York [DETAILS].

By most accounts and even his own words, Santos is a generally sketchy person, and I doubt there will be too many defenders of his character or the issues at stake.  However, all of that said, this Tweet from a staffer in his office is wild:



The casual nature of this is quite alarming.  It was not that long ago when the EXECUTIVE branch, using confidential human sources to investigate the LEGISLATIVE branch, would have been a matter of incredible controversy reserved for only the most serious of criminal possibilities.

An FBI informant penetrating the congressional office to relay information back to the FBI is quite remarkable.  However, it appears we are in an era of justice administration where anything is just flippantly asserted inside the mechanisms of government.

In the big picture, beyond the selfish issues of George Santos, when we consider the Fourth Branch of Government operating to protect itself against sunlight and scrutiny, this example of the FBI operating in the shadows of congress should start to make everyone uncomfortable.  How can there be “checks” and balances, when the enforcement mechanisms can be deployed against any entity who threatens the system itself?

more
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/05/10/fbi-used-congressional-staff-as-confidential-informants-and-human-assets-to-build-case-against-congressman-george-santos/

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1656431872438857729

[libertybele]

FBI Used Congressional Staff as Confidential Informants and Human Assets to Build Case Against Congressman George Santos
May 10, 2023 | Sundance |

Congressman George Santos was indicted on thirteen counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and lying on financial disclosure forms during his short period in Congress.  He was taken into custody Wednesday in New York [DETAILS].

By most accounts and even his own words, Santos is a generally sketchy person, and I doubt there will be too many defenders of his character or the issues at stake.  However, all of that said, this Tweet from a staffer in his office is wild:



The casual nature of this is quite alarming.  It was not that long ago when the EXECUTIVE branch, using confidential human sources to investigate the LEGISLATIVE branch, would have been a matter of incredible controversy reserved for only the most serious of criminal possibilities.

An FBI informant penetrating the congressional office to relay information back to the FBI is quite remarkable.  However, it appears we are in an era of justice administration where anything is just flippantly asserted inside the mechanisms of government.

In the big picture, beyond the selfish issues of George Santos, when we consider the Fourth Branch of Government operating to protect itself against sunlight and scrutiny, this example of the FBI operating in the shadows of congress should start to make everyone uncomfortable.  How can there be “checks” and balances, when the enforcement mechanisms can be deployed against any entity who threatens the system itself?

more
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/05/10/fbi-used-congressional-staff-as-confidential-informants-and-human-assets-to-build-case-against-congressman-george-santos/

It is alarming. It's also alarming because we don't know if the 'informant' is telling the truth.