Welcome to the beat. I'm Ari Melder. And we have new tapes. In a beat exclusive tonight,

we have new audio tapes of Congressman George Santos. A reign today for that indictment.

And we're going to be airing these tapes for the first time tonight. They're from

documentarian Blake Zeff. They are the Santos tapes and they're coming up shortly. Later,

I want to tell you, we also have my special report on Clarence Thomas' problem with law

and precedent. We're going to run through the facts that's later tonight. So we'll get to that

breakdown and these tapes while our top story right now is the Santos indictment itself.

This is the most controversial new lawmaker in Congress now indicted for breaking laws.

Prosecutors say his lies became crimes to put it simply. And today, for his part, the Congressman

vowing to fight the case while echoing a MAGA witch hunt defense.

Now, I'm going to have to go and fight to defend myself. The reality is, it's a witch hunt.

I'm going to fight my battle. I'm going to deliver. I'm going to fight the witch hunt. I'm going to take

care of clearing my name and I will prove myself innocent. He pled not guilty and is now out on

bond. Today, the judge warning the Congressman now turned a defendant that he better ask

before trying anything that might violate his release conditions. Santos cannot leave the

country legally. The government took his passport from him today. He's subject to home monitoring,

like any other defendant in this position out on bond. And these charges they range from

stealing and money laundering and wire fraud to an interesting count for his situation,

lying to his new employer to counts for fall statements to Congress. Now, this scandal began with

an outlet on Long Island, first the North Shore leader and then the New York Times,

basically confronting, busting and exposing the fact that while many politicians are known to

disemble or exaggerate or spin, this newly elected Congressman was lying all the time with stories

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