United States: a Republican elected official accused of many lies indicted by the federal justice

Republican Congressman George Santos, whose lies have made the political and media world fat since his election in 2022, has been indicted by federal justice, US media said Tuesday. The exact nature of the charges is not yet known.

Contacted by AFP, the Ministry of Justice declined to comment on the information. According to CNN, citing three sources familiar with the matter, federal prosecutors have indicted Santos and the New York elected official could appear in court as early as Wednesday.

'Symbol of the American dream'

George Santos, 34, who allegedly inflated his financial income and "embellished" his CV, admitted to grossly lying about whole swathes of his life.

The man who presented himself as a symbol of the "American dream" is also accused of lying or exaggerating reality by presenting himself as "a proud American of being Jewish" -- he grew up in a Catholic family, but maintains that his "heritage is Jewish" -- or as the grandson of Holocaust survivors who fled Nazi barbarism. He is the subject of multiple investigations, in Congress, in New York and as far away as Brazil.

Asked about Santos' possible indictment, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said he would look at "the charges" before considering any expulsion from Congress.