Recently, Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), a congressional candidate in 2020, has come under scrutiny for statements he made in a resurfaced podcast episode. In the episode, Santos discussed the possibility that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019, could still be alive and that he was murdered instead of committing suicide in his Manhattan jail cell. Santos also claimed to have met Epstein in person, saying they encountered each other at private equity conferences, and suggested that Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, should have been held in a different country with protections.
Despite the controversy, Santos has refused to resign from Congress, despite the revelations that parts of his life story were fabricated, including his Wall Street experience, Jewish background, and college volleyball career. A New York poll found that nearly half of the state’s Republicans believe he should resign.
As the scandal continues to unfold, the public is watching to see how Rep. Santos will respond. It remains to be seen if he will face any consequences for his statements and actions, or if he will continue to serve in Congress.