George Santos calls federal charges a ‘witch hunt’ and refuses to resign following arrest

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May 10, 2023 View online 1/ George Santos calls federal charges a 'witch hunt' and refuses to resign following arrest George Santos described criminal charges against him as a "witch hunt" in a defiant press conference following his arrest on Wednesday.   The New York congressman spoke outside a federal courthouse after being arraigned on charges of fraud, theft of public funds and money laundering.   "It's a witch hunt," he told a crowd of reporters. "I'm gonna fight my battle, I'm gonna deliver, I'm gonna fight the witch hunt, I'm gonna take care of clearing my name," he said, adding that he was planning to run for reelection.   The 34-year-old congressman for New York's third district, who won his election after a campaign that was littered with lies about his past, was arrested shortly after 9am after turning himself in to authorities.   In the 13-count indictment, unsealed on Wednesday morning, federal prosecutors accused Mr Santos of lying on financial disclosure forms he filed to the House when he became a candidate, first by overstating his income from one job and failing to disclose income from another, and secondly by lying about his earnings from his company, the Devolder Organization. 2/ Texas gunman scheduled Scream mask video to upload on day he carried out attack  Law has enforcement confirmed the gunman had "neo-Nazi ideation" 3/ Michael Fanone condemns CNN's town hall 'party' for Trump as backlash rises Mr Fanone was one of the police officers assaulted during the Capitol riot 4/ Tucker Carlson bringing 'new version' of show to Twitter after Fox News ouster Mr Carlson said the social network was the "last" major media distribution channel that allowed free speech 5/ Lori Vallow served court papers for missing kids as she sits by resort pool in new video JJ and Tylee had been killed four months before Ms Vallow was served with the court documents. THE BIG QUESTION Are we living in the age of the celebrity sex overshare? Robbie Williams and his wife, Ayda Field, rarely have sex. Rachel Bilson wants to be "f***ing manhandled" by her partners. Ben Affleck is "technically excellent" in the bedroom (according to Gwyneth Paltrow). And Christina Aguilera has called herself "a promoter of the swallow". These are just a handful of the most outrageous sex-related confessions divulged by celebrities in recent weeks. And it seems they can't stop oversharing.   But while it's easy to wince at coded compliments like "technically excellent", these celebrities could be doing us all a favour.    When it comes to demystifying taboos around sex and intimacy, perhaps honesty is the best policy? Even when it is a bit cringe. Read the full story £99 £20 for 1 year ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more SUBSCRIBE NOW Watch / George Santos arrested on 13 federal charges NUMBER OF THE DAY 36 – The number of years MTV News has been on the air. Paramount Global announced it was ending its output and slashing 25 per cent of its US workforce. QUOTE OF THE DAY "Jordan Neely's killing was tragic and deeply disturbing. Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We firmly believe that the events surrounding his death demand a thorough investigation."  – The White House issues a statement condemning the death of a homeless man on the New York City subway on 1 May. 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