Rep. Jamie Raskin copyedited Rep. George Santos' error-laden thank you letter and sent it back to him
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
- Rep. George Santos sent Rep. Jamie Raskin a letter hanking him for voting against expelling him from Congress.
- Raskin corrected his spelling and grammar and signed off with: "P.S. It's not shameful to resign."
- Raskin said that he voted against it because it would set a "terrible precedent."
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin copyedited Rep. George Santos' error-laden thank you letter for voting against expelling him from Congress.
Raskin was one of 31 Democrats who voted to spare him, arguing that it would set a "terrible precedent," but was apparently not impressed with his note of gratitude.
Raskin used a pen to correct the New York Republican's spelling and grammar, including pointing out that Santos misspelled "principles" as "principals."
"Dear Congressman Santos, I appreciate your note and only wish someone had proofread it first," Raskin wrote.
He continued that Santos should apologize to the people of New York for his "lies and deceit."
He signed off with: "P.S. It's not shameful to resign."
—Nicholas Wu (@nicholaswu12) November 3, 2023
New York Republicans spearheaded the effort to oust Santos but just fell short of the two-thirds majority needed, with 179 votes for, 213 against, and 19 voting present.
Twenty-four of Santos' fellow Republicans voted against him.
Throughout his time as congressman, Santos has been plagued with allegations of falsehoods about everything from his college education and work history to disproved claims about his mother dying in 9/11, to claiming that he appeared in "Hannah Montana."
Raskin explained in a statement that he didn't think Santos should be expelled without having been convicted of a crime.
"I'm a Constitution guy. The House has expelled five people in our history, three for joining the Confederacy as traitors to the Union and two after they were convicted of serious criminal offenses," Raskin wrote.
"This would be a terrible precedent to set, expelling people who have not been convicted of a crime and without internal due process. If and when Santos is convicted of these serious criminal offenses or ethics charges, I will certainly vote to expel him," he said.
He also criticized the Republicans who introduced the resolution, noting that they previously defended him but have now turned because he is a "complete political albatross for them."