Bad Santos

From: POLITICO Playbook PM - Thursday Nov 16,2023 06:35 pm

Nov 16, 2023

Presented by

FILE - Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., speaks to reporters outside the Capitol, in Washington, May 17, 2023. The House Ethics panel says it has found “substantial evidence” of lawbreaking by Republican Rep. George Santos of New York and has referred its findings to the Justice Department. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) speaks to reporters outside the Capitol on May 17. | AP

NEW NH POLL — Former South Carolina Gov. NIKKI HALEY is firmly in second place in New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire.

The results: DONALD TRUMP at 42%, Haley at 20%, CHRIS CHRISTIE at 14%, RON DeSANTIS at 9% and VIVEK RAMASWAMY at 8%. CNN’s analysis … Crosstabs

BAD SANTOS — The House Ethics Committee released its explosive report on scandal-plagued GOP Rep. GEORGE SANTOS and the results aren’t pretty.

The committee’s damning 55-page report comes after a months-long investigation into the Long Island Republican, who currently faces 23 federal criminal charges, including identity theft, credit card fraud and filing fraudulent campaign finance reports.

In their disclosure, investigators said that they had amassed “substantial evidence” of wrongdoing on behalf of Santos, including filing “false and incomplete reports” with the FEC and the use of “campaign funds for personal purposes.”

But it’s the juicy details of exactly where the money was spent — which includes using “campaign funds on Botox treatments and lavish Atlantic City trips with his husband” — that have Washington abuzz. Katherine Tully-McManus, Sarah Ferris and Olivia Beavers break down some of the expenses, which include:

$50,000 of donor money solicited for political purposes that was transferred to Santos’ personal account, where some was used for purchases at Sephora, Hermes and OnlyFans, the platform largely used by creators of adult erotic content.

$20,000 of Santos' 2022 campaign funds were moved to his personal business' bank account, where some was used to pay for his rent, $6,000 worth of purchases from Ferragamo stores and a withdrawal from a casino.

So what’s next?

— Possible criminal charges: The panel of investigators said it would refer all evidence to the Department of Justice for its ongoing investigation, and recommended the House condemn Santos.

— Possible expulsion: The gravity of the committee’s evidence means Santos’ expulsion from Congress is likely to come soon. House Ethics Chair MICHAEL GUEST (R-Miss.) announced this morning he will file a motion to expel Santos at the next pro forma session, a procedural move that would tee up action when Congress returns from recess after Thanksgiving.

Though there have been three previous attempts to expel Santos introduced by other members, Guest’s effort “may be seen as less political and give other members more cover to back it,” CNN’s Mel Zanona reports. And despite the previous failures, “there’s already a sense among lawmakers that time is different, given the damning ethics report,” Olivia Beavers reports.

— An end to his 2024 campaign: This morning, shortly after the report was released, Santos told Semafor’s Kadia Goba he will not be running for reelection in 2024.

In a post on X, Santos called the report a “disgusting politicized smear,” and added that although he is leaving office, he “will 100% continue to maintain my commitment to my conservative values in my remaining time in Congress.”

So where does that leave his district? Even before today’s bombshell report, New York Republicans have been focused on finding another person to fill his battleground House seat. But after today they are adamant he needs to go, Nick Reisman reports.

“Santos’ continued presence in office is untenable for New York Republicans, many of whom are seeking a second term next year and are trying to rid Santos of being an attack line for Democrats. … Democrats, meanwhile, sought to further tie Santos to vulnerable freshman GOP lawmakers and criticized them for not moving fast enough to remove him.”

STRIKE ZONE — “Majority of UAW workers approve deal with GM,” by Detroit News’ Kalea Hall and Hayley Harding

RETIREMENT WATCH — Rep. DAN KILDEE (D-Mich.) will not seek reelection, Sarah Ferris reports, opening up a swing House seat likely to be heavily contested in 2024. The six-term incumbent made the decision after battling cancer and having a tumor removed earlier this year: “[I]t does cause you to sort of sit back and say, OK, what are my priorities?” Kildee said.

Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.

SUBSCRIBE TO CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes.

LATEST ON THE CLASH AT THE DNC — Washington is still sorting through competing accounts of a protest last night at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, as “police and protesters have issued conflicting reports about the nature of the demonstration, with police saying that attendees had become violent after officers tried to remove them, resulting in attendees pepper spraying officers,”Nicholas Wu and Anthony Adragna report.

U.S. Capitol Police announced this morning that the event resulted in one arrest for assaulting an officer.

House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON decried what he called “this vile display of anti-Semitism” in a post on X today. "I condemn this criminal activity, which injured six brave Capitol Police officers, in the strongest terms," Johnson said. "As Americans, we must unite with one voice in steadfast support of our ally Israel."

PANDA-MONIUM — “Chinese president signals more pandas will be coming to the United States,” by AP’s Didi Tang: “The gesture came at the end of a day in which [Chinese President] XI [JINPING] and President JOE BIDEN held their first face to face meeting in a year and pledged to try to reduce tensions. Xi did not share additional details on when or where pandas might be provided but appeared to suggest the next pair of pandas are most likely to come to California, probably San Diego.”

A message from Instagram:

Parents should be able to decide which apps are right for their teens.

Apps can teach teens skills or ignite their creativity. But with access to so many apps, parents should have a say in which ones their teens download.

That’s why Instagram wants to work with Congress to require parental approval wherever teens under 16 download apps.

Learn more.

THE WHITE HOUSE

THE OTHER CLASSIFIED DOCS CASE — The prosecutor investigating why classified materials ended up at Biden's office and former home is preparing a report that is expected to be highly critical of the then-VP, but people familiar with the investigation say Special Counsel ROBERT HUR is unlikely to bring a criminal case, WSJ’s Aruna Viswanatha and Sadie Gurman report.

More details: “The investigation has focused on who handled the documents and what procedures they followed in doing so, the people said. Hur is expected to release a lengthy report in the next couple of months, potentially before the end of this year.”

GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. SUBSCRIBE NOW.

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

LATEST FROM THE MIDDLE EAST — “Israel and Hamas Appear to Be Near Hostage Deal, Officials Say,” by NYT’s Ronen Bergman and Matthew Rosenberg: “Under the proposal, Hamas would release 50 women and children abducted during the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks for roughly the same number of Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons. The deal, being negotiated by Qatari, Egyptian and American officials, would also include the cessation of hostilities for several days, a so-called humanitarian pause, four of the officials said.”

On the diplomatic side … In a new episode of POLITICO’s Power Play podcast, Israeli Ambassador MICHAEL HERZOG says his government is listening to concerns from the Biden administration about the ongoing military campaign in Gaza, “but ultimately people have to understand that Israel has no choice.” Listen here

And on the Hill … Sen. CORY BOOKER (D-N.J.) and Rep. DAN GOLDMAN (D-N.Y.) wrote to Biden today to ask him to keep pressing Israel to crack down on violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, NBC News’ Jonathan Allen scooped. “As your administration tirelessly works to prevent the expansion of this conflict, we write to specifically highlight the threat that violence in the West Bank — especially vigilante violence by Israeli settlers — poses to those efforts,” the members wrote.

More details: “Goldman and Booker, the only two lawmakers who were in Israel during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, argue that violence by settlers undermines the Palestinian Authority, which they view as a crucial partner in attempting to unify Gaza and the West Bank as part of an eventual peace plan that establishes a Palestinian state alongside Israel.”

2024 WATCH

PLAYING OFFENSE ON IMMIGRATION — Following a recent NYT story on Trump’s plans for immigration in 2025 should he retake the White House, Democrats are pushing hard for more “hard-hitting messaging on immigration from the party, which has struggled with communicating its vision to voters,” The Messenger’s Adrian Carrasquillo reports this morning.

“[T]op progressive leaders are planning a call for Thursday or Friday to discuss the dangers laid out for a second Trump term on immigration. … And for its part, the Biden campaign told The Messenger it is rolling out a plan to respond almost daily to the floated immigration policies this week and next under the banner of ‘Trump's America in 2025.’”

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

IN THE TAR HEEL STATE — Lawyer BILL GRAHAM’s campaign for the GOP nomination to be North Carolina’s next governor lieutenant governor against MARK ROBINSON is a race that illustrates a “microcosm of the larger question facing the Republican Party: More conservative, Trump-aligned candidates can win Republican primaries but often struggle to win over a broader general election audience outside the reddest states,” The Messenger’s Dan Merica reports.

IN THE GOLDEN STATE — “California’s first lesbian Senate leader could make history again if she runs for governor,” by AP’s Adam Beam

THE ECONOMY

SO FAR, SO GOOD — “Wall Street Loves Washington’s New Debt Approach—for Now,” by WSJ’s Andrew Duehren

A message from Instagram:

PLAYBOOKERS

OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at a “salon dinner” Tuesday night hosted by Laurel Strategies’ Alan Fleischmann and Dafna Tapiero: Saudi Ambassador Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, British Ambassador Karen Pierce, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Deepak Chopra, Renée Fleming, Iván Duque Márquez, Justin Smith, Ruth Marcus, Catherine and Wayne Reynolds, Kevin Young, Fred Kempe, Josh Bolten, Laura Modi, Afsaneh Beschloss, Raj and Maria Teresa Kumar and Anthony Romero.

— SPOTTED at a happy hour at Baby Wale last night celebrating COURIER’s national launch: Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), Tara McGowan, Kyle Tharp, Mandela Barnes, Alex Thompson, Rachel Thomas, José Morales, Rachel Janfaza, Drew Westen, Dan Froomkin, Melissa Williams, Jenny Lawson, Mike Schmuhl, Eve Levenson, Santiago Mayer and Ariana Mushnick.

— SPOTTED at Stack Data Strategies' launch party last night at Bluejacket in Navy Yard: Joe Bedell, Jon Bashor, Mike Thom, Peter Barnes, Courtney Parella, Alex Copeland and Sam Spencer.

— SPOTTED at Responsibility.org’s annual Good Friends Good Choices Good Times happy hour last night at Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.’ Cocktail Caucus Bar: Brett Bruen, Chris Swonger, Leslie Kimball, Christopher Krepich, Lisa Matthews and Jodi Schneider.

— SPOTTED at an event Tuesday night celebrating diversity on and off Capitol Hill hosted by Forbes Tate Partners: Reps. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.) and Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Koby Koomson, Hope Goins, Marcus Garza, Marvin Figueroa, Brianna Walker, Will Reese, Didier Barjon, Jeyben Castro, Justin Oh, Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alivia Roberts, Dan Turton, Zach Sentementes, Crystal Reilly, John Mason, Winta Menghis, Lillian German, William Cunningham, Dileep Srihari, Jimmie Williams, Jonathan Martinez, Erin DarBouze, Chris DeVore, Lauren Lyles-Stolz, Adrian Boafo, Malcolm Sherrod, Jeff Forbes, Rachel Miller, Zach Williams, Jay Driscoll, Libby Greer, Cindy Brown, Derrick White, Frank Steinberg, Barrett Thornhill, Kristina Dunklin, Kelley Williams, Ryan McConaghy, Stacey Rolland, Trevor Hangar, Andres Ramirez, Shanita Penny, Liz Gonzales, Arthur Sidney and Michael Williams.

— SPOTTED Monday night attending the limited showing of “Common Ground” at the Miracle Theater on Capitol Hill: Kara Boyd, John Boyd Jr. William Brangham, Ian Somerhalder, Josh Tickell, Rick Clark and Robyn O'Brien.

— SPOTTED last night at Capitol Counsel’s “Sweet 16” party at their new offices: Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Reps. Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Richie Neal (D-Mass.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Liz Johnson, Shannon Finley, John Raefaelli, Jon Kott, Tiffany Guarascio, Sam Whitfield, Colin Carr, Rob Griner and Allison Shuster.

TRANSITION — Christina Amestoy is now comms director for Think Big Strategies. She previously was senior campaign comms adviser at the Democratic Governors Association.

BONUS BIRTHDAY: Shanita Penny of Forbes Tate Partners

Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.

Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton, producer Andrew Howard and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.