Democratic Congressmen Ask House Ethics Committee To Probe Lies
Topline
House Democrats on Tuesday formally requested the House Ethics Committee investigate Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) for lying about his biography and making inaccurate financial statements, making him a potential target of the only bipartisan committee in Congress that has the power to recommend his expulsion from the House.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 03: U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY) waits for the start of the 118th … [+]
Key Facts
Reps. Daniel Goldman and Ritchie Torres, both Democrats from New York, filed an official complaint with the House Committee on Ethics Tuesday over Santos’ apparent lies.
The congressmen want the committee to determine whether Santos violated the Ethics in Government Act, alleging he filed an incomplete financial disclosure statement that didn’t accurately reflect his assets.
Santos—who has admitted he lied about graduating from college and made misleading statements about working for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup—told reporters Tuesday he has “done nothing unethical,” adding that Goldman and Torres are “free to do whatever they want to do.”
Meanwhile, House Republicans have also opened an “internal” inquiry into Santos, House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) told reporters on Tuesday when asked whether Santos should be allowed to remain in Congress, adding “we’re going to have to sit down and talk to him.”
Crucial Quote
“Given the revelations about his biography, as well as the public information pertaining to his financial disclosures, Mr. Santos has failed to uphold the integrity expected of members of the House of Representatives,” Goldman and Torres wrote.
Key Background
Santos, a first-term congressman who flipped a previously Democrat-held Long Island district in the midterm election, came under fire in December when The New York Times published a bombshell report that found discrepancies about everything from his family history to education and career. Subsequent fact-checks revealed evidence contradicting Santos’ claim that he is Jewish (he later said he actually meant that he is “Jew-ish”) and even called into question his self-description as the first openly gay non-incumbent GOP lawmaker (The Daily Beast reported he finalized a divorce from a woman a day before launching his first campaign for Congress in 2020). Goldman and Torres want the committee to determine whether Santos violated the Ethics in Government Act by filing a financial disclosure statement after the required deadline that did not properly detail the source of his wealth and claimed he owned a $1 million apartment in Brazil, despite admitting to The New York Post last month he does not own any properties.
What To Watch For
Santos faces multiple other…
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