George Santos Appears in Federal Court Ahead of Looming Trial

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The Facts

  • Recently expelled US Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) appeared in federal court on Tuesday for a brief status conference ahead of his pending trial. He faces 23 charges related to allegedly stealing the identities of donors and fraudulently using their credit cards to spend thousands of dollars.

  • Santos spent just a few minutes in the courtroom, where US District Judge Joanna Seybert said he’s making "great progress" in getting the case ready for his trial set for September. She added that the schedule grants him time to potentially strike a plea deal with federal prosecutors.

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The Spin

Democratic narrative

If there’s anything George Santos is good for, it's trying to be the star of the show — something he tried to do again at his pre-trial conference. Amid all of the terrible accusations against him and the fact that his own party voted to expel him, Santos continues to have no shame. While some Republicans have rightfully called out Santos’ rampant corruption, other right-wingers have embraced the serial liar. Santos is doing himself no favors as he tries to prolong his 15 minutes of fame.

New York Times

Republican narrative

George Santos was expelled from Congress in a bipartisan vote nearly two months ago, and he's on his own in this legal battle. Everyone should know Santos’ eccentric personality by now, and his antics don't have much impact anymore. Unfortunately, the former Republican representative won’t vote for his own party to maintain control of his former seat, but the GOP is focused on more important things than George Santos’ drama.

New York Post

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