George Santos enters plea of not guilty to new charges in court

Congressman George Santos has pleaded not guilty to 10 additional federal charges. These charges were brought against him in a superseding indictment earlier this month, which accused him of wire fraud, making false statements to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), and other crimes. Mr. Santos had already pleaded not guilty to the first 13 charges back in May. The trial date has been set for September 9, 2024. Prior to appearing in court, Mr. Santos took to social media, specifically X (formerly Twitter), to assert his belief in his entitlement to due process. However, the superseding indictment portrays Mr. Santos as allegedly engaging in widespread fraud during his campaign for Congress. Among the charges listed are conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, making false statements to the FEC, falsifying records to the FEC, and access device fraud. Federal prosecutors claim that Mr. Santos submitted false campaign finance records, including a fake $500,000 loan to his campaign, and charged donors' credit cards without their consent. Additionally, one of Mr. Santos' campaign staffers has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The Congressman has also faced significant scrutiny and calls for his resignation after it was revealed that he had fabricated portions of his biography and resume. While it remains uncertain if Mr. Santos will still hold his position in Congress by the time his trial begins, he may face expulsion next week if another New York Republican succeeds in forcing a vote. However, a two-thirds majority in the US House of Representatives is required for expulsion, and Republicans hold a slim majority in the chamber. Even if the expulsion attempt fails, it is unclear if Mr. Santos will still be running for re-election by the time of his trial. He faces a primary in June 2024, and challengers, a loss of support in his district, and opposition from his Republican colleagues in the state all pose obstacles to his candidacy.