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Former New York Rep. George Santos announces plans to run for Congress again
NEW YORK — Former New York Rep. George Santos plans to run for Congress again, he announced Thursday night.
In a post on X, Santos said he plans to challenge Rep. Nick LaLota in New York’s First Congressional District, which includes eastern Long Island.
“I look forward to debating him on the issues and on his weak record as a Republican. The fight for our majority is imperative for the survival of the country,” he wrote.
Tonight, I came to the SOTU with an open mind and heart because I believe in the great idea that is the United States of America.
I just witnessed a weak, frail president deliver spin and lies to the American people from inside the chambers. I have made several personal…
— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) March 8, 2024
LaLota responded in a statement, saying, “To raise the standard in Congress, and to hold a pathological liar who stole an election accountable, I led the charge to expel George Santos. If finishing the job requires beating him in a primary, count me in.”
Santos, who previously represented the state’s Third Congressional District, was expelled from Congress in December in the wake of a scathing report by the House Ethics committee that found “substantial evidence” he violated federal law and used campaign money for personal expenses.
House lawmakers voted 311 to 114 in favor of his expulsion, making Santos the sixth House member in the nation’s history to be expelled. He had survived two previous calls for his removal — the first after he was indicted by the Justice Department in May 2023, the second in October 2023 after a superseding indictment.
Santos faces 23 federal charges related to alleged wire fraud, identity theft and campaign finance violations and other crimes. The trial is set for September.
Democrat Tom Suozzi beat Republican Mazi Pilip in the special election to replace Santos in New York’s Third Congressional District.
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NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.