Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) said he’d be interested in returning to Congress, just two weeks after he was removed from office and wrote off Congress.
It’s a stark reversal from previous comments about his future.
“Why would I want to stay here? To hell with this place,” he said as he left the Capitol, minutes before he was officially expelled from office early this month.
But, on Tuesday, the embattled former lawmaker told radio host Frank Morano something else.
“I’m not done with public service. I want to go back to Congress,” he said. “I’m not saying today. I’m not saying tomorrow.”
“I have a lot of things I need to take care of first,” he continued. “I think we all know, but I do have hopes of trying to regain the trust of the American people and going there because I will continue to expose and root out the rot in our federal government.”
Santos was expelled over alleged campaign finance violations and ethics violations, including lying about his experience and allegedly defrauding donors. He faces 23 criminal charges for his conduct, including wire fraud and theft of public funds.
The New York Republican said he will not run for reelection as he faces the charges.
Santos and federal prosecutors have also reportedly neared a plea deal in recent days. He decried the Department of Justice as “above board” and “professional” while calling out the House Ethics Committee investigation into him “a political assassination” and a “joke.”
“I’m not asking for people to like me,” he said. “I’m not asking for people to have sympathy. I just want people to see the facts, and those are the facts.”
Santos, who has dubbed himself a "former congressional icon," joined the video-sharing platform Cameo after being ousted, and is now selling personal videos for hundreds of dollars.
The special election for Santos' vacant seat is set for Feb. 13.
Former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), who held the seat before Santos, took the Democratic nomination. The GOP is yet to name a candidate.
