New York Democrats Demand George Santos Ethics Probe

Billy House and Zach C. Cohen
·3 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Representative George Santos said he’s “done nothing unethical” as two House Democratic asked the Ethics Committee to investigate whether the New York congressman filed vague and possibly illegal financial disclosures.

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Representatives Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman, who represent parts of New York City, wrote to the committee on Tuesday demanding a review of Santos’s mounting scandals.

“The House of Representatives has an obligation to police itself, and this is just the start of our mission to hold George Santos accountable to his constituents and the American people,” Goldman said in a statement.

It’s not just Democrats turning up the pressure on Santos this week. The Republican Party in Nassau County, New York, which forms the bulk of Santos’s district, said it would meet with local GOP leaders on Wednesday to deliver the “strongest statement yet” about Santos, calling him the “the disgraced Member of the House of Representatives from New York’s Third District.”

Santos told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday that he had done nothing wrong. “They are free to do whatever they want to do,” he said of the request for the probe. “I will be addressing all of this in due time.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told reporters on Tuesday that the Santos issue is “being handled internally.”

“We are going to have to sit down and talk to him about it,” the Louisiana Republican said.

Goldman, who served as Democratic counsel during former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, said he is particularly concerned about Santos’s lies about his finances, which have led to multiple criminal and civil investigations.

“House GOP leadership views Santos’ disinformation campaign as a ‘running joke,’ so it is once again left to Democrats to stand up for Santos’ constituents and protect our free and fair elections,” Goldman said.

Santos was sworn in last week, having spent the week on the House floor during the battle for House speaker. He was seen at times sitting with fellow GOP gadflies, Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz.

The ethics complaint was first reported by the New York Times, which has previously raised questions about Santos’s personal and campaign finances.

The Ethics Committee acts as the clearinghouse for allegations of legal or ethical misconduct against fellow members of Congress. It typically does not provide timely details on ongoing investigations or whether one is undertaken in earnest in response to a request.

The committee has yet to be constituted for this two-year congressional session, limiting its ability to act immediately on the complaint.

Representative Susan Wild of Pennsylvania will be the top Democrat on the panel, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced on Tuesday. It’s unclear who will chair the panel, and calls to Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s office were not immediately returned.

A spokesperson for the House Ethics Committee declined to comment on the complaints or committee procedure.

Some fellow Republicans, however, are wary of the New York freshman.

“I wouldn’t put Santos on committees until we had a deeper understanding of exactly what went on in his campaign,” GOP Representative Dusty Johnson told CNN on Tuesday morning.

Santos faces a separate Federal Election Commission complaint by the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center probing the source of the funding for his campaign, when he defeated Robert Zimmerman for an open seat representing parts of Long Island and Queens in November.

--With assistance from Emily Wilkins, Erik Wasson and Gregory Korte.

(Updates with local party meeting on next steps in fourth paragraph)

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