US House Ethics Committee Launches Probe Into Embattled Rep. George Santos

Lawmakers have launched a bipartisan effort to have US Rep. George Santos (R-NY) removed from office, launching an ethics investigation of the freshman lawmaker who is accused of lying about large parts of his biography, among a myriad of other claims that have surfaced in recent weeks.

The US House Ethics Committee announced on Thursday it voted unanimously to create a special subcommittee for investigating embattled US Rep. George Santos. The probe will be led by two Republicans and two Democrats.

“The investigative subcommittee shall have jurisdiction to determine whether Representative George Santos may have: engaged in unlawful activity with respect to his 2022 congressional campaign; failed to properly disclose required information on statements filed with the House; violated federal conflict of interest laws in connection with his role in a firm providing fiduciary services; and/or engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual seeking employment in his congressional office,” the statement said.

"The Committee notes that the mere fact of establishing an Investigative Subcommittee does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred," they added.

The House probe is also separate from any charges that might be brought against Santos by the US Department of Justice. The DOJ gave clear indication in late January that its Public Integrity Section was hot on the case after it asked the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to halt action against Santos over the possibility he violated federal campaign finance laws.

The 34-year-old freshman lawmaker is accused of deceiving the public about many parts of his life, including his education, his employment history, and even claims to have descended from Jewish survivors of the Holocaust.

“I never claimed to be Jewish… I am Catholic,” Santos said in December. “Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’”

However, he has admitted to “embellishing” his resume with claims he graduated from Baruch College, clarifying that he has not attended any institution of higher education. “I’m embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume,” he said.

A recent poll of his constituency, which includes parts of Long Island and Queens, found that 78% of registered voters want Santos to resign.

“Whether you look it at by party, gender, race, age, religion, income, or which county the voters live in, the answer is the same: resign,” Siena College Poll Director Don Levy said in a statement. “Similarly, voters of every party and every demographic breakdown know who Santos is, are following the news about Santos, and view Santos unfavorably.”

Santos has claimed he would not resign unless everyone who voted for him demanded it. For the moment, he has House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) support.