George Santos Does Not Rule Out Taking Plea Requiring He Resign From Congress

Republican New York Rep. George Santos left open the possibility of considering a plea that would involve his resignation from Congress when speaking with Dan Abrams on NewsNation this week.

On Thursday’s Dan Abrams Live, the host and Mediaite founder spoke with admitted serial liar Santos about his career, the accusations against him, and his prospects ahead, including whether he’d consider resigning his seat and whether or not he has any chance at all of winning reelection.

“You have any chance? I mean, I gotta believe you’ve got almost no chance,” said Abrams, prompting Santos to weigh the possibility.

“Uh, look, remember Chris Collins, upstate New York? He was reelected under indictment,” replied Santos. “We’ve had members of Congress on both sides of the aisle get reelected under indictment because you’re fighting, you’re innocent until proven guilty.”

They spoke about the possibility of being primaried, Santos compared his lies to President Joe Biden’s, and finally whether Santos would run for reelection even if convicted — which he said, yes, he would.

Abrams asked Santos, “Would you would you consider a guilty plea?”

“Because you had mentioned that, you’d mentioned that — you sort of left the door open a little bit when you talked about it publicly, which made me think, hey, would he consider a guilty plea that might require him to leave Congress?” he said.

Instead of a definite no, Santos began to say, “Look, I don’t know. Like I said, I’m not –”

“You would consider it?” interjected Abrams.

“I’m not making I’m not making any assertions right now,” said Santos, still leaving the possibility on the table. “Like I said earlier, I’m like, it’s — right now, the answer is no. But you just never know. Life is — you don’t know what life is going to come at you, you know?”

ABRAMS: You think — you’re running for reelection.

SANTOS: Yes, I am.

ABRAMS: You have any chance? I mean, I gotta believe you’ve got almost no chance. I mean, am I wrong?

SANTOS: Uh, look, remember Chris Collins, upstate New York? He was reelected under indictment. We’ve had members of Congress on both sides of the aisle get reelected under indictment because you’re fighting, you’re innocent until proven guilty.

SANTOS: That’s true. So if we don’t have that, we’re eliminating the due process here by admitting guilt. I’m not guilty of anything until that’s proven.

ABRAMS: Well, you’ve admitted that you’re responsible for your lies, right? I mean, yeah, I’m not saying guilty in a court of law.

SANTOS: You know what, Dan? I wish every politician that got caught fibbing would go on national television and get scolded like I did by Tulsi Gabbard. I’d love to see Blumenthal do it. I’d love to see Elizabeth Warren. I’d love to see the President of the United States do it. I mean, 40 years lying to the American people, continues to lie to the American people and doesn’t admit to it. It’s always, oh, that was a Freudian slip. Oh, that was, oh well, he misspoke.

ABRAMS: Do you think that’s, you think it’s comparable? You think that the kinds of lies you told are comparable?

SANTOS: Sure! Top of his class in law school, a scholarship. I mean, none of that was real. I mean, hey, draws inspiration, man.

ABRAMS: To you.

ABRAMS: I’m not saying to me, but —

ABRAMS: But there are a lot of Republicans who’re talking about primarying you, right?

SANTOS: Fine. The more the merrier. I love it.

ABRAMS: Is it th — Why would you love it? I mean, you know.

SANTOS: Of course it is a — first of all, I’ve never experienced a primary, right? So it’d be very interesting to see what that experience is. I’ve run two times on an uncontested right. So secondly, it’s a very logical political way. There’s the pro-Santos support and there is the anti-Santos support. Right now, as it as it shows us in a Republican primary with primary voters, there’s more pro-Santos voters, by a little, than there are anti.

ABRAMS: Really?

SANTOS: Yes.

ABRAMS: That’s according to the internal polls?

SANTOS: Yes. So if you look at it that way, even, and I’ll put it this way, I can have as little with the current field, I can have as little as 30% and coast to reelection, at least on a primary side, and be the general candidate. Why? Because they’re going to split up the anti-Santos vote. Right? They’re not looking at this. I mean, if they really want to put a challenge, find a vote. But if you even look at the slate of c— we have people who aren’t from the state running against me. We have people with millions of dollars of liability against the city of New York because of their actions and while they were city employees. I mean, we have all sorts of crazy people running against me with terrible records themselves.

ABRAMS: And if convicted, would you continue to run?

SANTOS: Like I said, I am very confident that I’m going to be able to fight off the charges.

ABRAMS: But if you were convicted, would you continue to —

SANTOS: I don’t want to talk about negatives here. Let’s keep it positive. So I don’t believe that’s going to happen.

ABRAMS: You are surprisingly upbeat, though. I mean,.

SANTOS: That’s my personality.

ABRAMS: I mean, for for, you know, considering everything you’re facing.

SANTOS: Look, I’m a positive person by nature. I’m always there. You know, people come to me, they’re feeling down. I make you feel happy. It’s just how I am. And it’s not fake. It’s not an act. Anybody who interacts with me says, Where does the energy come from? I’m just a, I’m a happy guy. I’m. I’m always glad to be alive.

ABRAMS: Would you would you consider a guilty plea? If —

SANTOS: Right now I’m not.

ABRAMS: Because you had mentioned that, you’d mentioned that — you sort of left the door open a little bit when you talked about it publicly, which made me think, hey, would he consider a guilty plea that might require him to leave Congress?

SANTOS: Look, I don’t know. Like I said, I’m not —

ABRAMS: You would consider it?

SANTOS: I’m not making I’m not making any assertions right now. Like I said earlier, I’m like, it’s — right now, the answer is no. But you just never know. Life is — you don’t know what life is going to come at you, you know? So —

ABRAMS: You scared of going to prison?

SANTOS: Look, I think anybody would be scared to go to prison, right? That’s that’s if you’re not like, come on. But the reality is, is right now, I’m confident I won’t.

Watch the clip above via NewsNation.