Politics- George Santos is now comparing himself to biblical figures as he tries defend against expulsion.
- Speaking on an X Space on Friday, Santos said he had become the "Mary Magdalene" of Congress.
Rep. George Santos of New York on Friday compared himself to the biblical figure Mary Magdalene as he railed against colleagues in the House who want to expel him.
Speaking on an X Space about an expected vote to boot him from the Hill, Santos defended himself by portraying other members of congress as criminals.
"Within the ranks of the United States Congress there's felons galore," Santos told media personality Monica Matthews, who hosted the X Space. "There's people with all sorts of sheisty backgrounds and all of a sudden George Santos is the Mary Magdalene of United States Congress."
His mention of Mary Magdalene likely refers to a woman in the Bible, which says she closely followed Jesus Christ and witnessed many of his deeds after he exorcised seven demons from her.
She was often depicted as a sex worker in the medieval church, but was later honored as a saint or heroine in most Christian circles.
Santos also claimed that he used to be the "It Girl" in political circles, but that he was somehow and suddenly no longer valued by his colleagues.
"I was, as we joke around a lot in my circles were like: 'Oh my God you were the It Girl. Everybody wanted you.' Until nobody wanted me,'" he said.
During the X Space, he continually slammed other members of congress and dared his critics to vote on his expulsion, calling for House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest to "stop being a pussy and call the damn motion."
The scandal-ridden Republican was recently the subject of a scathing House Ethics Committee report that detailed a wide range of abuses, violations, and fraudulent conduct by the congressman.
The report found, among other matters, that Santos had inappropriately used campaign funds for purposes such as Botox, OnlyFans, and Sephora purchases.
He also faces federal charges for money laundering, identity theft, wire fraud, and was found to have repeatedly lied about his employment, education, and religious background.
In the wake of the report and two failed attempts to remove him from the House, Santos said he would not run for re-election, but would remain in Congress.
That could soon change as congressional leaders are expected to now throw the full weight of the ethics report on Santos, the charges against him, and past records of his lies to finally oust him from his seat.
Expelling Santos would require a two-thirds majority in the House, and would make him the sixth American lawmaker in history to be kicked from the halls of power.
While defending himself, Santos has made a pattern of attempting to portray Congress as a "swamp" of corrupted politicians invested in his downfall because he's an outsider — a talking point oft-repeated in far-right circles.
He told CNN earlier in November that he believed voters didn't elect him because of his embellished background, or as he put it, whether he "played volleyball or not."
During the X Space on Friday, Santos sought to channel anger and defiance, saying he welcomed the idea of being expelled.
"I don't care. You want to expel me? I'll wear it like a badge of honor," he said.