POLITICS
New York Democrat Tom Suozzi Launches Bid To Unseat GOP Rep. George Santos
tom_suozzi/Instagram
New York Democrat Tom Suozzi on Tuesday launched a campaign to unseat his successor, Republican Rep. George Santos, who is currently facing more than a dozen federal charges for fraud and making false statements to Congress.
Suozzi gave up his seat representing New York’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes parts of Queens and Long Island, in order to run for governor last year.
The madness in Washington, DC, and the absurdity of George Santos remaining in the Unite dStates Congress is obvious to everyone, Suozzi wrote in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter.
Santos was indicted in May on seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives.
“Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself, Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement. He used political contributions to line his pockets, unlawfully applied for unemployment benefits that should have gone to New Yorkers who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and lied to the House of Representatives.
Santos has rejected calls for his resignation, and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Last week, the former treasurer for Santos, Nancy Marks, pleaded guilty to a fraud conspiracy charge. In court, she admitted that Santos filed false reports indicating he had loaned his campaign $500,000, in order to impress party leaders and gain their support.
The congressional seat is one of a handful in New York that flipped to Republicans, and Democrats are hoping to retake in 2024. Suozzi is hoping his familiarity will be an asset in the race.
You know me. I’ve never sat on the sidelines. From the cost-of-living to immigration, crime, climate change, combating terrorism in the Middle East and globally, and simply helping people, we need more common sense and compassion and less chaos and senseless fighting, Suozzi said.
Suozzi said a formal campaign kickoff will be held in November, after local elections.
TMX contributed to this article.
