George Santos is OUT of the race for Congress: Long Island liar claims he doesn't want to split the vote as an Independent and hand Democrats a win

George Santos dropped out of the race for Congress as an Independent on Tuesday, claiming he did not want to split the vote between himself and New York Rep. Nick LaLota to 'guarantee' a Democratic victory. 

'Although Nick and I don’t have the same voting record and I remain critical of his abysmal record, I don’t want to split the ticket and be responsible for handing the house to Dems,' the lying Long Island former congressman claimed on X. 

'It is clear that with the rise of antisemitism in our country we cannot afford to hand the house to Dems as they have a very large issue with antisemitism in their ranks,' he went on. 'Staying in this race all but guarantees a victory for the Dems in the race.' 

LaLota shot back at the news: 'Chat GPT translation: He’s taking a plea deal.'

Santos is set to stand trial in September for allegedly defrauding investors, lying to election officials and stealing unemployment benefits.

Santos was expelled from Congress in December and replaced by Democrat Tom Suozzi, leaving the House GOP with an even smaller majority. But, the 34-year-old suggested this wouldn't be the end of him in public life. 

'I have meet with leaders and with constituents and I have made the decision to hang it up here and stop perusing this race, THIS YEAR! The future holds countless possibilities and I am ready willing and able to step up to the plate and go fight for my country at anytime.' 

George Santos ' comeback bid for Congress raised no money at all last month, suggesting the campaign may be another ploy for attention

Santos' comeback bid for Congress raised no money at all last month after he announced his bid - filings with the Federal Election Committee (FEC) showed no contributions and no expenditures for his campaign committee. 

Santos had announced a run against LaLota last month after making a dramatic appearance at President Biden's State of the Union address. 

He did not qualify for the GOP primary in June, but could have still run as an Independent.  

'New York hasn't had a real conservative represent them since I left office arbitrarily, thanks to RINO, empty suits like [LaLota],' Santos wrote on X. 

LaLota launched the effort to kick Santos out of Congress. 

'Pathetic little man… Since you refuse to move to the district, I'm coming in hot!' Santos seethed, calling him a 'Democrat RINO with an abysmal record!'

LaLota shot back on X, along with a link to donate to his campaign: 'To raise the standard in Congress, and to hold a pathological liar who stole an election accountable, I led the charge to expel George Santos. If finishing the job requires beating him in a primary, count me in.' 

Santos and LaLota have sparred for months. 

'I don't like Nick LaLota. He's a traditional meathead,' Santos said in November.

'If he faces a true challenger, well funded, one person without a spoiler candidate, he might not win,' Santos continued. 'He's not well-liked. He's an arrogant person. He's not a nice guy. He's cocky. He's a traditional meathead, somebody that's not nice to you for no reason.' 

The ousted GOP member who fabricated most of his resume and used campaign funds on botox and OnlyFans still has privileges that mean he can get on the House floor.

Santos announced a run against Rep. Nick LaLota last month after making a dramatic appearance at President Biden's State of the Union address

But in recent days Santos' former New York GOP colleagues made a push to keep him away from Capitol Hill. 

Rep. Anthony D'Esposito introduced a resolution, cosponsored by Reps. Mike Lawler and LaLota, to 'deny certain privileges of the House of Representatives to former Members who have been expelled from the House.' 

Santos' campaign committee from the past election cycle also filed with the FEC on Monday, reporting hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. With only a small handful of new donations, that committee had to return $21,000 to donors.   

The Ethics Committee found that Santos stole campaign donations to fund a lavish lifestyle, and improperly charged donors' credit cards at luxury stores.

The stunning dossier also states that the congressman reported fake loans to his political committees so that donors and party committees would want to make further contributions to him.

It found that Santos deceived people into donating to RedStone Strategies, which in 2022 was listed as a committee dedicated to supporting his candidacy, and then transferred those funds to his personal account, using the money on Sephora, OnlyFans, and a $4,000 purchase at Hermes.

It also found he spent campaign funds on Botox treatments and lavish Atlantic City trips with his husband.

Separately, Santos has already pleaded not guilty to 23 charges in federal court, including identity theft, charging his donors' credit cards without their approval and submitting false campaign reports.