A letter New York Rep. George Santos sent to colleagues in the House of Representatives thanking them for not expelling him was copy edited and returned by Democratic Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin, who had a little fun at his conservative counterpart’s expense.
“I am writing to express my gratitude to you for standing up for the principals [sic] of due process and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty,” the GOP Rep. Santos’ thank-you note began.
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Rep. George Santos (R-NY) walks back to his office after debate on the House floor on a resolution to expel him from Congress on Wednesday. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Raskin circled “principals” and inserted the correct spelling of that word in a copy of the note obtained by Politico.
It was one of several corrections Raskin made to Santos’ poorly written note before writing a few words of advice to his embattled colleague.
“I appreciate your note and only wish someone had proofread it first,” Raskin wrote. “Meantime, you should apologize to the people of New York for all of your lies and deceit.”
Throughout his successful campaign to represent New York’s third district, Santos fabricated stories about his past including schools he attended, jobs he held and sports he played.
Raskin, who voted against expelling Santos because of the precedent that would set, finished his response to the GOP lawmaker by writing “PS: It’s not shameful to resign.”
A vote to boot Santos from the Long Island-based seat he lied ad nauseum to win in November 2022 came up short Wednesday, with many of his colleagues choosing to let an ongoing ethics investigation run its course before removing an elected official.
The disgraced 35-year-old freshman congressman, also known as Anthony Devolder, further faces 23 criminal charges including wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft. He’s pleaded not guilty.