Rep. George Santos (R-NY) once again reiterated that he refuses to resign from Congress when asked by reporters about the new superseding federal indictment against him — then ran into his office and "slammed the door" behind him, reported CNN's Manu Raju on Tuesday.
“I did not have access to my phone," Santos told Raju. "I have no clue what you guys are talking about."
Santos, who was first elected to Congress last year, had already been under a separate 13-count indictment alleging he committed wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and false statements to Congress. Prosecutors alleged that he misled campaign donors about how he was using their funds, and fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits, among other things.
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The new indictment includes several more charges, including allegations that Santos secretly made purchases for himself using the credit cards of campaign donors without their permission.
Santos has been under scrutiny since last year, when reporters exposed that he had lied about almost every aspect of his personal background on the campaign trail, including his education, work history, and a fake Jewish heritage.
New York Republicans have broadly called on Santos to step down from Congress, but he has been defiant about remaining in office and running for a second term.
