GOP Congressman Shreds Idea Santos May Seek Reelection: No Way He Even ‘Completes His Term’

CNN’s Manu Raju spoke with Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) on Wednesday about his recent reporting that fabulist Rep. George Santos (R-NY) may seek reelection despite the myriad of allegations against him.

“Now, we are learning behind the scenes that Santos is considering running for reelection,” Raju began, adding:

He has told that to Republicans previously, signaling he was not going to do so. But he has changed because he believes he can beat all of the allegations of wrongdoing. He believes his treasurer will face scrutiny over his campaign finances and he believes he will essentially be able to push back against any looming indictment that could come down.

“Now, there’s a different view in New York. New York Republicans, including some who are here in the House delegation, say that George Santos should not be the nominee and they are prepared to defeat him in a primary if he decides to run,” Raju explained, before cutting to a clip of his interview with Molinaro.

“George Santos will not be on any ticket in 2024,” Molinaro declared.

“What makes you so confident?” asked Raju.

“I am very confident that first the investigations, I think, are going to produce truth. And that truth might come as a surprise to Congressman Santos, but not to anyone else. And leadership and constituents in his district on Long Island have had enough. I don’t see a scenario where he runs for reelection or quite frankly, even completes his term,” the Republican congressman concluded.

Santos has been accused of lying about everything from his employment and educational history to his heritage, and even how his mother died. He is also under investigation by the Justice Department over questions about his campaign’s finances, including loaning the campaign hundreds of thousands of dollars after declaring no assets and a $55,000 salary just two years before.

“Now, there is a time element here that is significant. By March 14th, the Federal Election Commission has asked Santos to declare whether or not he is running for reelection in order to allow him to continue fundraising going forward,” Raju added.

“So he has to make a decision there. And if he decides to run again, even if he were indicted on federal charges, we know he’s facing investigations, that does not force him to resign,” Raju continued, explaining that Santos can serve in Congress until he decides to resign or two-thirds of the House vote to expel him.

“And of course, if Santos were to resign, that is a seat that he would have to defend in a special election, potentially tightening McCarthy’s already very narrow majority,” Raju concluded.

Watch the full clip above via CNN