Expelled George Santos announces bid for return to Congress as Independent
Santos was expelled from Congress amid allegations that he misused campaign funds
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Expelled former U.S. Rep. George Santos of New York on Friday announced another congressional bid to reclaim a seat in the House, but this time as an Independent candidate.
Santos will run to unseat Rep. Nick LaLota, a Republican, who represents New York's 1st Congressional District.
"The Republican Party continues to lie and swindle its voter base," Santos wrote Friday on X. "I in good conscience cannot affiliate myself with a party that stands for nothing and falls for everything."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FORMER SANTOS STAFFER SAYS EXPELLED CONGRESSMAN'S SURPRISE CHALLENGE TO LALOTA 'IS A JOKE'
In a series of social media posts Friday night, Santos said he would be filing ethics complaints on Monday against four different members of the House. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
"I am officially suspending my petitioning in #NY01 to access the ballot as a Republican and will be filing to run as an independent…" he added.
Santos previously represented New York's 3rd Congressional District as a Republican. U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat, took the seat after winning a special election after Santos was booted from Congress.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a post on X earlier this month, Santos called LaLota a RINO – Republican in name only.
"He is a willing to risk the future of our majority and the future of this country for his own political gain," he wrote at the time in which he announced a run to unseat LaLota without stating his political affiliation.
Fox News Digital has reached out to LaLota's office.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., sits on the House floor before the start of President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address to the joint session of Congress in the U.S. Capitol on March 7. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The freshman lawmaker was expelled a year into his first term in the House in the wake of a damning House Ethics Committee report that found he misused campaign funds on luxury items and OnlyFans, among other things.
He has not been convicted of a crime, but he has been indicted on multiple counts related to wire fraud, identity theft, falsification of records, credit card fraud and other charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
Santos was ousted in a 311 to 114 bipartisan vote.
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In a surprise to many, he returned to Capitol Hill earlier this month to watch President Biden’s State of the Union address. Despite being expelled, Santos noted that as a former member, he still retains privileges that include entry to the House floor when the body is in session.
At the time, he didn't rule out running for office again.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.