Santos says he'll run as an independent after 'embarrassing showing' by GOP in House Friday

WASHINGTON – Embattled former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., said he is suspending his plans to run for reelection as a Republican and will instead run as an independent, blaming the shift on the "embarrassing showing in the House" Friday.

The House on Friday passed a $1.2 trillion spending package that would finally fund the federal government through the end of September, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., filed a motion to vacate against House Speaker Mike Johnson – the procedure that led to the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

After Friday, "I have reflected and decided that I can no longer be part of the Republican Party… The Republican Party continues to lie and swindle its voter base. I in good conscience cannot affiliate myself with a party that stands for nothing and falls for everything," Santos said in a post on X.

"I will take my Ultra MAGA/Trump supporting values to the ballot in November as an Independent."

Santos was expelled from Congress in December after a House Ethics Committee report also found substantial evidence he misused campaign money for his own benefit. He was the first House member to be kicked out of his seat by his peers without supporting the Confederacy or first being convicted of a federal crime.

He was also indicted on 23 counts of multiple federal crimes, including lying to the Federal Election Commission, identity theft, money laundering, wire fraud and theft of public funds.

Santos announced in March that he planned to run for reelection, challenging sitting Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., who represents a vulnerable "toss up" seat that could help determine which party controls the House next year.

Santos is the second indicted member of Congress to announce a switch to an independent campaign in recent days. On Thursday, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., announced he is "hopeful" that he can run "as an independent Democrat" in the general election this fall. Menendez is charged with accepting bribes in exchange for illegally helping the Egyptian and Qatari governments and for obstructing justice in an investigation into those alleged crimes.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Santos switches from GOP to independent after chaotic House day