Disgraced ex-Rep. George Santos ends independent bid for Congress after raising no money in first weeks of campaign

Lying former Long Island Rep. George Santos announced Tuesday he was ending his independent bid to unseat Suffolk County Congressman Nick LaLota — after failing to raise any money for his campaign in its first weeks.

Santos, 35, said on X that he did not want to draw votes away from the Republican LaLota and be “responsible” for handing control of the House of Representatives to Democrats in 2025.

“I don’t want my run to be portrayed as reprisal against Nick Lalota [sic],” Santos wrote. “Although Nick and I don’t have the same voting record and I remain critical of his abysmal record, I don’t want to split the ticket.”

“The future holds countless possibilities and I am ready willing [sic][and able to step up to the plate and go fight for my country at any time,” Santos concluded, adding: “It’s only goodbye for now, I’ll be back.”

Santos, elected in 2022 to represent parts of Nassau County and Queens, became just the sixth House member — and first Republican — to be expelled from the chamber on Dec. 1 following the release of a scathing ethics report that found he used campaign funds for personal splurges, including X-rated OnlyFans subscriptions, Botox injections and lavish trips.

LaLota was one of 105 Republicans who voted to give Santos the boot.

Despite storming out of the Capitol and declaring “to hell with this place” following his expulsion, Santos announced March 7 that he would run against LaLota — after attending President Biden’s State of the Union address as a guest.

Earlier this month, a Federal Election Commission filing revealed that the Santos campaign had reported no fundraising or spending as of the end of March — which the ex-congressman said was intentional.

“I will not be raising a single dime until I’m confirmed on the ballot,” Santos told the Daily Beast last week.

“I’m setting the standard that only confirmed ballot access candidates should raise money.”

To make the ballot in New York’s 1st Congressional District, Santos needed to collect 3,500 signatures from local residents by May 15, a near-impossible task given his notoriety.

Santos is also facing a 23-count federal indictment for allegedly having laundered his campaign’s money and defrauded donors. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, though the House Ethics Committee report that led to his expulsion noted the panel had found “substantial evidence” of criminal wrongdoing.

The trial of Santos in the Eastern District of New York is due to begin Sept. 9.

The Republican made national headlines soon after his election by confessing to fabricating large parts of his resume and backstory, confessing to The Post in December 2022 that he had “never worked directly” for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and acknowledging he never graduated from college — claiming to hold degrees from Baruch College and New York University.

Santos also admitted that he is “clearly Catholic” despite claiming on his campaign website that his mother was Jewish and his grandparents escaped Nazi persecution in Europe before World War II. He claimed to The Post that his grandmother – who was born and raised in Brazil – told stories about being Jewish but later converted to Catholicism.

“I never claimed to be Jewish,” Santos said at the time. “I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’”

Additional reporting by Victor Nava, Ryan King, Josh Christenson and Carl Campanile