Washington, D.C. — MAGA House members, currently gathering for a retreat in Orlando, have already begun reflexively defending former President Donald Trump following news that he may be indicted this week for doctoring his accounting books to obscure payments he made to conceal extramarital affairs from voters during a heated presidential campaign. Some members are even supporting Trump’s calls for protests, leading to concerns about political violence along the lines of the January 6th Capitol riots.

“MAGA House leaders’ knee-jerk reaction to defend Donald Trump without any regard for the evidence is a damning reminder of their extremism and unadulterated loyalty to the former president, who clearly remains the de facto leader of their party,” said Zac Petkanas, senior advisor to the House Accountability War Room. “Marjorie Taylor Greene and many others supporting Trump’s call to protest the potential outcome of a legal proceeding bear alarming similarities to those made by Trump and his MAGA allies that incited a violent insurrection. They seem to forget that, in America, nobody is above the law — not even a former president of the United States ” 

Examples of MAGA House reactions to the news:

• Kevin McCarthy: “Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump. I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.”
• Marjorie Taylor Greene: “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with calling…for protests. Greene also promoted a conspiracy theory on Twitter: “How many Feds/Fed assets are in place to turn protest against the political arrest of Pres Trump into violence?” and encouraged Republicans to “go scorched earth.”
• Lauren Boebert: “We all need to be speaking up against the political persecution of President Trump. This is not the time for silence.”

To learn more or to speak with a House Accountability War Room spokesperson, contact [email protected]. 

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PHOTOS from NY-03 constituents’ DC press conference and petition delivery in February

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Representative George Santos filed paperwork to run for re-election to New York’s third congressional district, despite reports indicating that he fabricated multiple elements of his resume, personal history, and identity — some of which he admitted to lying about.

Courage for America councilmember and Santos constituent, Danielle Hindieh, issued the following statement in response:

“Every day that Speaker McCarthy fails to hold a vote to expel George Santos is a day that NY-03 constituents lack real representation in the House. As a former teacher and member of this community, I’m outraged on behalf of my family and neighbors. Santos is a liar and a fraud, and the people of our district deserve better.” 

Last month, nearly 50 of Santos’s constituents traveled from NY-03 to Capitol Hill with Courage for America and Concerned Citizens of NY-03, where the group held a press conference with Reps. Dan Goldman (NY-10) and Ritchie Torres (NY-15) and delivered a petition signed by nearly 1,500 constituents calling on Speaker McCarthy and Republican leadership to call a vote to expel Santos from the chamber.

PHOTOS from Santos’s constituents’ DC press conference + petition delivery in February

All photos are free for use with credit to Courage for America

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the House Committee on Ethics announced that its members voted unanimously to establish a new subcommittee to investigate allegations made against Rep. George Santos (R-NY). 

Courage for America grassroots organizer and Santos constituent Casey Sabella released the following statement in response:

“While this is the correct move by the House Ethics Committee, we don’t need further investigations to prove that Santos lied about his resume while running for Congress and that he is unfit to represent us. Every day that Santos remains in office is a day that thousands of NY-03 constituents don’t have honest representation. McCarthy must put an end to this and immediately call for a vote to expel Santos.”

Additional Background:

Courage for America has worked alongside elected officials, faith leaders, small businesses, community organizations, and constituents to demand that Speaker McCarthy hold a vote to expel Santos from Congress — including busing a group of 50 Santos constituents to DC for a press conference and petition drop with Concerned Citizens of NY-03, protesting outside Santos’ district office in Queens, rallying on the steps of the Nassau County Courthouse, and organizing among small businesses in NY-03.

More than 1,000 constituents in NY-03 have also signed an open letter to Speaker McCarthy led by Courage for America urging Congress to investigate and vote to expel Santos.

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About Courage for America

Courage For America is a campaign advised by a council of proud Americans speaking out against an extreme MAGA agenda that puts money and power over the rights and freedoms of the American people. The campaign is amplifying the voices of Americans in communities across the country — veterans, educators, faith leaders, and more — to demand the People’s House works for the people.

Tucker’s own legal team has said he is not a journalist; not “stating actual facts” on air

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, Axios reported that Speaker McCarthy has granted pro-insurrectionist conspiracy theorist Tucker Carlson exclusive access to over forty thousand hours of Capitol surveillance footage from the January 6th insurrection. 

Officer Michael Fanone, a Courage for America council member and former MPD officer who sustained severe injuries defending the Capitol on Jan 6, issued the following statement in response: 

“Speaker McCarthy’s dangerous choice to gift the January 6 footage to Tucker Carlson guarantees that it will be selectively edited to fit an extreme MAGA narrative without care for the safety of Capitol Police, Members of Congress and Congressional staff. Airing footage of restricted areas of the Capitol and sensitive evacuation protocols, all while spreading misinformation about the nature of the attack, endangers everyone working in the building. 

“If he was truly interested in transparency, Speaker McCarthy would release the footage to all news outlets or continue the work of the January 6th committee, but this decision is proof he would prefer to weaponize it to score cheap political points. Tucker Carlson is not a journalist, he’s an entertainer peddling propaganda and conspiracy theories — but as someone who defended the Capitol on January 6th, there’s nothing entertaining at all to me about that day.”

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Resolution comes just two days after Santos constituents delivered petition signed by 1,500+ demanding McCarthy hold vote to expel him

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two days ago, Courage for America, Concerned Citizens of NY-03, and roughly forty-five of Rep. George Santos’s constituents traveled to Washington D.C. to host a press conference and deliver a petition signed by over 1,500 constituents calling for a vote to expel Santos from Congress. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) today filed a new resolution to expel Santos from office. Two of the members who joined the press conference with Santos constituents, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Rep. Richie Torres (D-NY), are co-sponsors of the bill.

Courage for America grassroots organizer and Santos constituent Casey Sabella issued the following statement in response:

“NY-03 residents traveled ten hours roundtrip on Tuesday to tell Speaker McCarthy that a serial liar and unmistakable fraud like Santos — who was unsurprisingly unwilling to meet with his own constituents — will never be able to serve us. While Republican leaders still refuse to listen, we’re grateful that Reps. Garcia, Goldman, Torres, and others have heard us and are working to hold Santos accountable.

“As House members consider this resolution, our message remains the same: Speaker McCarthy must swiftly bring this resolution to expel Santos to a vote.”

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Resources: Photos and B-Roll of the Day of Action, Press Conference Livestream

All photos and footage free for use with credit to Courage for America

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ahead of President Biden’s State of the Union address, nearly 50 of Republican Congressman George Santos’ constituents traveled with Courage for America and Concerned Citizens of NY-03 to Capitol Hill to call on Speaker Kevin McCarthy to immediately schedule a vote to expel Santos from the chamber.

Joined by Reps. Dan Goldman (NY-10) and Ritchie Torres (NY-15) after Speaker McCarthy confirmed that Santos faces an House ethics probe, the group urged Congress to hold Santos accountable for defrauding voters and failing to provide services to his constituents.

The group also delivered a petition signed by almost 1,500 constituents to Santos’ staff and to the offices of Speaker McCarthy, Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, and House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest, all of whom enabled Santos’ misconduct and attempted to shield him from accountability.

To learn more about the grassroots organizations working to hold Santos accountable or to speak with a constituent who traveled to D.C., please contact [email protected].

Learn more about Courage for America and Concerned Citizens of NY-03’s grassroots actions on Capitol Hill yesterday here:

CNN: ‘You are unfit for office’: Constituents call for Santos’ removal [Video]

ABC New York: Constituents board bus to DC to demand Santos’ removal ahead of SOTU address [Video]

Newsday: Rep. George Santos’ constituents travel to Washington to petition for his removal

HuffPost: George Santos Constituents Travel To Washington To Call For House Expulsion

The Independent: ‘The country has been swindled:’ George Santos’s constituents take a bus trip to protest on Capitol Hill

The New Republic: “Expel Him”: George Santos’s Constituents Protest Outside Capitol To Call for His Removal

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Reps. Goldman, Torres to Headline Press Conference at Capitol

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday February 7, constituents of Republican Congressman George Santos will travel together by bus from New York with Courage for America and Concerned Citizens of NY-03 for a press conference on Capitol Hill to demand Congress vote to expel Santos after he defrauded voters and lied about most aspects of his life.

Following the press conference, NY-03 residents will deliver to Santos’ office a petition signed by nearly 1,500 constituents calling for a vote to expel him from Congress. The groups will also deliver the petition to Republican leadership, including Speaker McCarthy, House Republican Conference Chair Stefanik, and others who enabled Santos’ misconduct and moved to shield him from accountability by gutting the Office of Congressional Ethics.

Details and RSVP instructions included below:

BUS DEPARTURE FROM NY-03

• WHO: Dozens of constituents and community leaders from NY-03
• WHEN: Tuesday, February 7, at 6:45 AM ET (cameras should arrive at 6:30 AM ET)
• WHERE: Rosyln Station, Expy Plaza, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577
• RSVP: Email [email protected]
• B-ROLL AND VISUALS: Interviews with organizers and constituents before traveling to D.C.

PRESS CONFERENCE ON CAPITOL HILL

• WHO: Reps. Dan Goldman (D, NY-10) and Ritchie Torres (D, NY-15), dozens of constituents and community leaders from NY-03
• WHEN: Tuesday, February 7, at 1:00 PM ET (check-in begins at 12:45:00 PM ET)
• WHERE: U.S. Capitol (specific address to be provided upon RSVP, including inclement weather address)
• RSVP: Email [email protected] to receive the location and press credentials for this event
• B-ROLL AND VISUALS: Members of Congress and community leaders calling for Santos’ expulsion; constituents and community leaders holding signs and chanting

PETITION DROP TO SPEAKER MCCARTHY, HOUSE REPUBLICANS

• WHO: Constituents and community leaders from NY-03
• WHEN: Tuesday, February 7, at 1:30 PM ET following the press conference
• WHERE: U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
• RSVP: Email [email protected] if you are interested in accompanying Santos’ constituents during the petition drop
• B-ROLL AND VISUALS: Petition drop off to the offices of key House Republicans

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, in response to Republican Congressman George Santos (NY-03) reportedly telling the House Republican Conference that he will recuse himself from his assigned committees, grassroots organizer and Santos constituent Casey Sabella released the following statement:

“George Santos is a fraudster who should never have been seated on the committees he’s now recusing himself from in the first place — something I’ve heard from small business owners and community leaders across NY-03.

“Santos’ egregious misconduct requires immediate action by House Republicans. For the good of our district and the integrity of our democracy, Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans must vote to expel Santos.”

Additional Background:

Courage for America and Unrig Our Economy have worked alongside elected officials, faith leaders, small businesses, community organizations, and constituents to demand that Speaker McCarthy immediately launch a House Ethics Committee investigation into Santos’ misconduct and vote to expel Santos from Congress — including protesting outside Santos’ district office in Queens, rallying on the steps of the Nassau County Courthouse, and organizing among small businesses in NY-03.

More than 1,000 constituents in NY-03 have also signed an open letter to Speaker McCarthy led by Courage for America urging Congress to investigate and expel Santos.

To learn more about the campaign, visit CourageforAmerica.org or contact [email protected]. 

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, after Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters that if the House Ethics Committee found that GOP Congressman George Santos (NY-03) broke the law that Republicans will then remove him from his committee assignments, new questions were raised about potentially illegal contributions to Santos’ campaign.

As reported in The New York Times, leading elections lawyer Brett G. Kappel said that if the candidate’s personal wealth wasn’t the source of the loan, “the only other permissible source would be a bank, and they would require collateral for a loan of this size. If a bank wasn’t the source of the funds, then the only alternatives are illegal sources.”

In response, grassroots organizer Casey Sabella — who has been working on the ground in New York’s third congressional district to hold Santos accountable — issued the following statement on behalf of Courage for America:

“George Santos is a liar, a cheat, and a fraud. Each day we learn new details about his blatant misconduct and fraudulent behavior, and each day it’s becoming increasingly clear that he is incapable of serving the people of NY-03. Whether I meet voters in diners, barbershops, or on the street, the people of NY-03 are disgusted with George Santos and hope his days in Congress are numbered.

“Speaker McCarthy and Republican leadership have a responsibility to swiftly and thoroughly investigate Santos’ lies and corruption, and they must hold him accountable for all of his wrongdoing — including likely crimes — by voting to expel him from Congress.”

Additional Background:

Courage for America and Unrig Our Economy have worked alongside elected officials, faith leaders, small businesses, community organizations, and constituents to demand that Speaker McCarthy immediately launch a House Ethics Committee investigation into Santos’ misconduct and vote to expel Santos from Congress — including protesting outside Santos’ district office in Queens and rallying on the steps of the Nassau County Courthouse.

More than 1,000 constituents in NY-03 have also signed an open letter to Speaker McCarthy led by Courage for America urging Congress to investigate and expel Santos.

To learn more about the campaign, visit CourageforAmerica.org or contact [email protected]. 

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Calls for Accountability Grow As Even MAGA Lawmakers Like Reps. Gallagher and Johnson Say Santos Shouldn’t Be Seated Until He’s Investigated

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Richie Torres (D-NY) filed an ethics complaint against fellow Congressman George Santos (R-NY) after he admitted to lying about most aspects of his life—from his religion and residence, to his education, work history, and financial disclosures.

Following introducing the complaint to the House Ethics Committee, Congressman Goldman penned an op-ed in the New York Daily Newsdemanding Congress to immediately launch an ethics investigation into Santos’ misconduct and calling on lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to join him and Congressman Torres in pushing for accountability.

This latest effort to hold Santos accountable comes as groups like Courage for America organize in district and rally constituents to demand that Speaker McCarthy launch an ethics investigation, as more than 800 constituents who signed a letter calling on the House to investigate. Now, even extreme MAGA lawmakers like Reps. Troy Nehls (R-TX) are admitting that Santos cannot be trusted while some like Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Dusty Johnson (R-SD) say he shouldn’t be seated.

The full piece can be read here, and key excerpts are included below:

• “While I take [my oath of office] seriously, it’s become increasingly clear that another newly-elected member from New York cannot be trusted to faithfully discharge the duties of his office because of the egregious pattern of lies he told to get elected. That person is George Santos from a nearby district covering parts of Long Island and Queens.”
• “Congress has an independent obligation to police itself to ensure that the oath we take — and the trust and responsibility we assume as representatives of the people — actually means something. If those who write our laws do not follow them, then we cannot credibly ask the American people to do so either.”
• “That’s why I, along with my fellow New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, filed a complaint with the House Ethics Committee to ensure that Santos is held accountable for defrauding the voters of New York’s 3rd Congressional District and potentially violating federal law.”
• “Sadly, Santos’ desecration of the concept of free and fair elections does not seem to be an issue for Republican leadership.While some Republicans have spoken out against Santos’ shocking lies — including my fellow newly-minted member from New York, Nick LaLota, who also called for an Ethics Committee investigation — GOP leadership has neither rebuked nor condemned Santos’ conduct.”
• “Despite what Republican leadership may believe, our democracy is not a joke. By seating Santos in Congress, House Republicans have confirmed once again that they do not value our democratic ideals, our free and fair elections, or the rule of law as much as they care about their own power. Santos’ shocking conduct is simply a natural outgrowth of the Republican Party’s attack on democracy over the past six years.”
• “It’s therefore clear that we cannot trust House Republican leadership to hold Santos accountable. In fact, they are already making moves to ensure that it will be harder to hold lawmakers like Santos accountable by gutting the Office of Congressional Ethics before an investigation can even begin.”
• “New Yorkers — and Americans at large — deserve leaders who uphold their oath of office, adhere to the truth, and serve with integrity. If we do not police our own, both the institution, and the individual elected officials, will suffer the reputational consequences.”
• “Every member of the House of Representatives — Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike — should therefore join me and Torres in demanding an immediate ethics investigation into Santos’ misconduct. Anything less is a dereliction of duty.”

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Efforts Highlighted by Press Including AP, Vox, The View, and others

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the first week of the 118th Congress, as House Republicans scrambled over the course of 4 days and 15 votes to determine who would become Speaker, Courage for America and the House Accountability War Room took decisive action to expose the MAGA takeover of the new House and call on incoming leadership to condemn political violence and violent right-wing rhetoric ahead of the anniversary of January 6th.

Actions from the groups included the distribution of a MAGA guidebook highlighting some of the most extreme members of the new House, a press conference in partnership with Common Defense featuring former MPD Officer Michael Fanone and members of Congress, and the delivery of a letter authored by Fanone calling on House GOP leaders to reject political violence.

The efforts were highlighted in news stories at the national and local level, including: 

A story in the Associated Press on the letter authored by Fanone and signed by over a thousand veterans, active duty service members, and military family members.

Dozens of military veterans on Wednesday hand-delivered letters to top Republicans in the U.S. House, calling on them to publicly condemn political violence as the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol approaches.

Former Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone wrote the letter, which was signed by more than 1,000 military veterans, active duty members, law enforcement officers and military families. Fanone, who was beaten and tased during the attack on the Capitol, delivered a copy to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s office. While the GOP leadership remains unsettled, the groups behind the effort consider the Georgia representative one of the de facto leaders of the new Republican majority in the House.

A story in Vox about the broader week of action, MAGA guidebook, and efforts to effectively message around the new House.

Though these groups aren’t all operating under the same umbrella organization, they share similar goals: set the narrative for how the House GOP will operate before they have the power to start their investigations, push their conservative agenda, and create new rules for Congress.

“One of the key goals here is to help educate the American people about how this House is run and controlled by MAGA extremists, which is becoming increasingly clear as we witness this speaker fight,” Zac Petkanas, a longtime Democratic strategist who has worked for Hillary Clinton’s presidential and Harry Reid’s senate campaigns and is running the House Accountability War Room, told me.

Segments on ABC’s The View and MSNBC’s Morning Joe highlighting the press conference. Footage of the press conference was also picked up by over 65 local stations across the country.

Highlights across social platforms from the week of action include:

• A video of Officer Fanone delivering the letter to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

• Tweet on Rep. Crow’s speech at the press conference

• Tweet on the record of new MAGA House member Rep. Cory Mills 

• A video of veterans confronting Rep. Bill Johnson for his on-the-record thoughts on political violence

To learn more about the campaign, visit CourageforAmerica.org or contact [email protected]. 

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“Thank you Jojo — and thank you Representative Crow, Representative Sherrill, Representative Houlahan, Representative Deluzio, Courage for America, Common Defense, members of the press, and this incredible group of veterans from across the country for being here today — particularly in light of the absolute chaos that’s unfolding in the race for Speaker.

But if I can guarantee one thing about the new House majority, it’s this: this is just the beginning. This type of chaos will happen every single day in this House, as some of the most extreme politicians our country has ever seen hold our democracy hostage.

I should know. Tomorrow marks two years since the day I almost died defending the Capitol from people who thought overthrowing our government would be a good idea.

The events of that day felt like a wake up call to me — and to many others — that political violence is real. The worst part is that elected leaders allowed it to happen.

And yet, this week, people who encouraged — and even attended — the insurrection are now taking their places as leaders in the new House majority. People like Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has said insurrectionists would have “won” on January 6th if she was involved; or Representative Matt Gaetz, who encouraged voters to arm themselves at the polls; or newly sworn-in Representative Derrick Van Orden, who breached police barricades with the insurrectionist mob on January 6th.

Yesterday, I delivered a letter to GOP House leaders signed by over a thousand veterans, active duty service members, and military family members demanding that they condemn political violence in all of its forms. We cannot afford to brush political violence under the rug, or turn a blind eye when others encourage it.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the last two years thinking about what it means to be courageous, and how I can best demonstrate courage in this moment. For me, being courageous means speaking out so my four daughters can live in a country without fear of the political violence from the MAGA movement that is putting their futures at risk.

That’s why, today, I’m proud to announce that I am joining the council of Courage for America, a new campaign pushing back against the Republican House’s extreme MAGA agenda that puts political power over the rights and freedoms of Americans.

I refuse to stay silent on a matter that affects all of us. I thank you all for speaking out with me.

To the new Speaker of the House — whoever the hell that ends up being — and other GOP House leaders, here’s my message to you: You have this job because you promised to represent the people. We, the people, are calling on you now to condemn political violence. As you take on your new roles, I will be watching and waiting for public statements from each and every one of you to do just that. Enough is enough.

Thank you.”