George Santos, you’ve just been expelled from Congress. What are you going to do next?
The true answer, as with most things regarding the proven fabulist who won a Queens- and Long Island-based congressional seat last year on the back of a fabricated resume, is difficult to pin down.
In recent days, reporters have peppered him with questions about some of the possibilities for his next act. Maybe a tell-all book? Perhaps a turn on reality TV, like “Dancing With The Stars”? Or — gasp! — a return to elected office?
“Look, I don’t know,” Santos said at a press conference on Thursday, a day before his congressional colleagues made him the sixth person to ever be expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives.
“The future is endless,” he continued. “I mean, you just never know. You can do whatever you want next, and I’m just going to do whatever I want.”
This much we do know: Before Santos moves on to the next chapter of his life, he’ll have to face trial this upcoming fall on a 23-count federal indictment in Nassau County federal court, where he’s accused of a variety of wrongdoing, including credit card fraud, money laundering, and making false statements to Congress.
Here’s a look at some of Santos’ potential next steps.
Felony trial
Any accounting of Santos’ future would be incomplete without considering the possibility of prison time.
Santos’ felony case is expected to go to trial next year, weeks ahead of the November elections when voters will head to the polls and decide the balance of power in Congress and the White House.
Santos is accused of putting unauthorized charges on his donors’ credit cards and funneling the money into his campaign and personal accounts, as well as creating fake loans and contributions from family members to make it look like he had raised more than he did, among other alleged wrongdoing.
Santos pleaded not guilty, but even a conviction on a few felony charges could easily land him behind bars for a period…
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