Rep. Jamie Raskin edited and returned a thank-you letter sent by Rep. George Santos Friday after he voted not to expel the New York Republican.
Mr. Santos sent a thank-you note to every lawmaker who voted against expelling him. He survived the vote Wednesday after most Republicans and 31 Democrats thought it best to hold off on punishment until his criminal trial and House Ethics Committee investigation come to a close.
“I am writing to express my gratitude to you for standing up for the principals of due process and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty,” Mr. Santos’ letter read.
Mr. Raskin, Maryland Democrat sent back the letter with edits, including correcting the New York lawmaker’s spelling of “principals” to “principles,” along with a response.
“P.S. It’s not shameful to resign,” Mr. Raskin wrote.
“I appreciate your note and only wish someone had proofread it first,” he added. “Meantime, you should apologize to the people of New York for all of your lies and deceit. I know you must have thought you could get away with it all in the party of Trump, but the truth is resilient.”
The effort to kick Mr. Santos out was brought by his fellow New York Republicans who are eager to separate themselves from the lawmaker who lied to everyone about his background. He faces a total of 23 federal charges that he has pled not guilty to. His trial has been scheduled for September 2024.
The House Ethics Committee announced earlier this week it would reveal the next steps in its investigation by Nov. 17.
Mr. Santos is charged with 13 counts of misleading donors, receiving unemployment checks he did not deserve, and lying to Congress. The other 10 counts allege he inflated his campaign finance reports and made unauthorized charges to donor credit cards.
He said Friday that he would run for reelection in 2024.
“Nobody elected me because I played volleyball or not. Nobody elected me because I graduated college or not” he told CNN’s Manu Raju. “People elected me because I said I’d come here to fight the swamp, I’d come here to lower inflation, create more jobs, make life more affordable, and the commitment to America. That’s why people voted for anybody.”
Source:Washington Times
