Disgraced Rep. George Santos delivered his first House floor speech on Wednesday since being sworn in as a member of Congress earlier this month.
The New York Republican rose to speak on the plight of Iranian protesters and acknowledge their bravery during his minute-long address. Santos also called on the Biden administration to do more than impose “mere sanctions” on the Iranian regime as punishment for its treatment of the demonstrators.
“Today I rise in support of the brave Iranian protesters who are fighting against barbaric forces of immorality,” Santos began his remarks.
“During his 1967 inaugural address as governor of California, Ronald Reagan said that freedom is a fragile thing and it is never more than one generation away from extinction. Iranian protesters have based this revolution on three principles, women, life and freedom, all of which America has rightfully champion with considerable population of Iranian Americans in New York’s Third Congressional District,” he said.
“Let America serve as a democratic beacon of light for the Iranian men and women who are fighting abroad. I would like to acknowledge representative [Claudia] Tenney, who introduced a House concurrent resolution commending the bravery of the men and women of Iran,” Santos added.
“I declare with every bullet and with every act of violence imposed by the Iranian government comes a call for us to condemn their actions and urge the Biden administration to take far greater actions and mere sanctions to address the countless murders and examples of senseless brutality,” he concluded.
Santos tweeted earlier this week in support of protesters in Iran.
“I support the freedom protesters in #Iran 100%. I will do everything in my power to help end the reign of terror plaguing their lives,” he said Monday.
Civil unrest and protests against the authoritarian Iranian government began in September of 2022 after the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini. Hundreds have been killed in clashes with Iranian security forces and the government has reportedly executed several captured protesters.
Santos is facing pressure to resign from his congressional seat after his admission to The Post last month that he lied about graduating college and working for top investment firms.
He is currently under investigation at the federal, state, and county level, reportedly over hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans made to his campaign.
On Wednesday his team amended several campaign finance documents to show that a $500,000 loan he made to his 2022 congressional campaign wasn’t “personal funds of the candidate.” It is unknown where the funds he lent to his campaign came from.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) appointed Santos to the Science, Space and Technology and Small Business committees last week. McCarthy vowed Tuesday that Santos would be removed from office if the House Ethics Committee funds that he broke the law.
