Congressman George Santos "surprises" journalists with coffee, doughnuts outside Washington, D.C. office
NEW YORK -- In an interview with a Brazilian podcast back in 2021, George Santos said he was the victim of a mugging on Fifth Avenue.
Santos also said he was the target of an assassination attempt.
Meanwhile, the embattled congressman's voters are trying new tactics to get rid of him.
Santos teased over the weekend he had a surprise this week for journalists assigned to stake out his D.C. office. It ended up being coffee and some tasty treats.
"For all the hard work you guys do. Thank you so much for being here and doing your job," Santos said.
As for his job, he's still doing it as if nothing's wrong, co-sponsoring six bills so far, including bans on fetal tissue research and TikTok on college campuses. He said his plan is to legislate, adding, "That's what I got hired to do."
"We didn't elect him. We elected this person that he created," said Susan Naftol of the group Concerned Citizens of NY-03.
The plan of voters in his district is to turn up pressure to expel him. In an open letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, they wrote, "We are not going to sit by and let you take way our constitutional right to representation."
The group is now asking voters nationwide to reach out to their own members of Congress.
"When Speaker McCarthy hears from all his representatives in the House from people all over the country who are outraged, then maybe it will push him to act," Naftol said.
READ MORE: Embattled Rep. George Santos heckled after landing at LaGuardia Airport
Pressure may be the best tactic, said election attorney Jerry Goldfeder, who has been working with District 3 voters.
"The speaker does need Santos' vote, but at a certain point the speaker will be sufficiently embarrassed but to expel him," Goldfeder said.
However, experts say don't hold your breath for a quick Federal Election Commission investigation, even though dozens of Santos' campaign expenses fall, oddly, one cent below the threshold for a receipt.
"They have a history of taking quite a long time. You have a civil investigation that could drag on, potentially, for years," said Dan Weiner, director of elections and government at the NYU Brennan Center.
"The evidence is overwhelming. It's a complete embarrassment. Everything he has said and done is based up on a lie," Republican Rep. Nick LaLota said.
LaLota, a freshman congressman from Suffolk County, has offered to take the lead in helping the FEC freeze Santos' campaign funds so they can be returned to duped donors.
"There are financial victims of his crimes and his lies need to stand a chance to be made whole," LaLota said.
Meanwhile, a closer look at opposition research by Democrats only flagged then-candidate Santos evictions and his alleged animal nonprofit, which is not registered, but they never challenged basic claims of a college education, which NYU says is freely available.
Santos was asked about ethics investigations and said he will "absolutely" cooperate with an investigation.
Although ethics complaints have been filed, there is no time frame on how long that investigation could take.
Santos tweeted Tuesday he was saddened by language used against him, when a GOP Louisiana senator called him "nutty as a fruitcake" and compared Santos to a character in the movie "Fatal Attraction."