WASHINGTON — Embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who survived a push to remove him from Congress by his fellow Republican colleagues and is currently facing a swath of criminal charges, said progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was his “inspiration” to get involved in politics.
“AOC was my inspiration, most people don’t know that,” Santos told CNN’s Manu Raju in an interview, referencing a common nickname for Ocasio-Cortez. “I always thought you needed to be a Kennedy, a Bush or a Clinton to be in politics. Then Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is there and it’s like, look, she’s a scrappy girl.”
“She’s from where I’m from, I’m like let’s do this. She’s proved that anybody can do this, no matter right or left,” Santos added.
Santos during the interview described himself as someone who feels “disconnected” from the Republican Party because of the little time he has been involved in politics.
Shortly before taking office, Santos fabricated much of his resume, including lying about his education and career in the lead up to the 2022 midterm elections
“It’s insecurity, stupidity, I don’t know,” Santos said of his resume, noting he has apologized for lying about his credentials. “Look, I’m human, we make mistakes. I’ve apologized and I will continue to apologize profusely for this and with remorse.”
“I am the first one to jump and say, ‘I messed up.’” he added.
Santos was also indicted in May on charges including money laundering, wire fraud and lying to Congress. He faced additional charges in October when a new indictment threw more counts at him, accusing him of stealing the identities of campaign donors and committing credit card fraud.
The House last week rejected an attempt by Santos’ fellow New York Republicans to expel him from Congress over criminal charges and lies about his resume on the campaign trail. His critics say Santos deceived his constituents and is unfit to serve. While many of those critics have urged him to resign from Congress, he has been defiant in the face of those calls.
The push to remove Santos, which required a heavy lift of a two-thirds vote in the House, failed by a bipartisan vote of 179-213. Most lawmakers appeared to defer to the House Ethics Committee, which is currently investigating his various controversies. The committee released a statement last week saying it will announce its next steps on its investigation by Nov. 17.
