Expelled and indicted former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., was spotted on the House floor Thursday ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, in a characteristic show of defiance three months after he was removed from Congress.
Santos, wearing a rhinestone-collared shirt and a pin memorializing murdered Georgia college student Laken Riley, will attend the president’s annual address as a “spectator,” he told reporters, adding “I’m just here watching.”
Riley’s killing—in which the suspect charged with the crime is an undocumented migrant—has become a rallying cry for Republicans alleging Biden has lost control of the border.
Santos was spotted sitting with hard-right firebrands Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.
Santos said he was allowed to attend the address because he still has floor privileges, which are afforded to House members after they leave Congress.
The former congressman, expelled in December following a sprawling lying scandal and accusations he stole from his campaign coffers, did not rule out running for office again, he told reporters.
“Expelled Congressman George Santos is disgracing the House Floor with his presence. He should be expelled from the House floor,” Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Biden is set to deliver his annual address before Congress at 9 p.m. Thursday.
More than 300 House members, including 105 Republicans, voted to expel Santos in December, making him the sixth person in history to be removed from Congress by his colleagues. His expulsion followed federal charges that Santos stole his donors’ identities and dipped into his own campaign coffers, using the money on a lavish lifestyle, including luxury retail purchases and vacations. He has pleaded not guilty to all 23 federal charges. Since leaving office, he has continued to be a fixture in the national media, sitting for various interviews, participating in a documentary by award-winning filmmaker Jenner Furst, and making personalized videos on Cameo. Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., who previously held Santos’ seat before he flipped the district in the 2022 midterm election, was selected to fill his seat in a special election last month.
