George Santos says he'll return to Congress once his former colleagues die: 'I'll outlive them. Each and last one of them'
Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua via Getty Images
- Former Rep. George Santos hinted at a possible return to Congress in the future.
- Not anytime soon, to be clear.
- He said he'll "be back" after his former colleagues die: "I'm 35, they're all in their 50s."
Ousted Republican former Rep. George Santos said he'll return to Congress once his former colleagues die.
"I'll be back," he said.
Santos made the comments during a highly-anticipated interview released Monday morning with comedian, Ziwe, after he said he'd pick the "House of Representatives" over "House of Gucci."
"They did what they wanted to do, so I'll be back," Santos said, referring to his former colleagues in the House who voted to expel him at the beginning of December. "I'm 35, they're all in their 50s — I'll outlive them. Each and last one of them."
Earlier in the year, Santos was hit with a 23-count federal indictment alleging he violated campaign finance laws, committed wire fraud and identity theft, among other offenses. Though he's pleaded not guilty to each charge, federal prosecutors recently noted Santos is trying to work out a plea deal.
A plea deal could mean a shortened time behind bars or possibly avoiding prison altogether, a place Santos has said he wanted to avoid "as much as possible."
As for Santos' claims about his former colleagues' ages, he's not far off. At 35, Santos was one of the younger members of the House, which at the start of the session boasted a median voting age of around 58 years old.
Since his expulsion, the serial fabulist has been able to amass hundreds of thousands of dollars through Cameo. After just two days on the platform, he reportedly earned more than he made this year in Congress.
Santos originally began selling his videos for $75 a piece, but he's since updated his price to $500 per appearance.
New York Republicans recently chose a replacement for the disgraced former congressman, Mazi Melesa Pilip, a local politician who's also been registered to vote as a Democrat for over a decade.
Santos did not respond to Business Insider's request to see if he'll endorse Pilip, though he did take a shot at her on X after videos emerged of her not taking questions from reporters.
"Anyone miss me yet?" Santos wrote. "I never ran away from questions… I always made time to answer tough questions."