WASHINGTON — Expelled former Rep. George Santo made a surprise appearance at President Joe Biden's State of the Union address Thursday, and announced online that he plans to run again for election to the House.
Santos was spotted before the address talking to Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert. As an ex-member of Congress, Santos still retains floor privileges. Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives last year after being charged with multiple counts of fraud and stealing from donors.
In a lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter, Santos said he will challenge Republican Rep. Nick LaLota in New York's 1st district.
"My promise is that I will never back down because of my love for this country. New York hasn’t had a real conservative represent them since I left office arbitrarily," Santos wrote. "After a lot of prayer and conversation with my friends and family, I have made a very important decision that will shake things up."
RELATED: George Santos expelled from Congress
The ex-lawmaker faces a slew of criminal charges, including allegations that he defrauded campaign donors, lied to Congress about his wealth, received unemployment benefits while employed and used campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses like designer clothing. He also is alleged to have made unauthorized charges on credit cards belonging to some of his donors.
Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special election to fill Santos' vacant seat.
The Associated Press contributed.
