Rep. Santos facing charges, report says
News of case against GOP congressman stirs interest in ouster, local Democrat says.
Federal prosecutors reportedly filed criminal charges Tuesday against freshman GOP Rep. George Santos, a move that has reignited interest in a California Democrat’s resolution to expel him from Congress.
The charges were filed under seal, according to CNN, so it was not clear what crimes Santos is charged with committing. Questions raised about Santos (RN.Y.) include whether he financed his campaign legally.
Rep. Robert Garcia (DLong Beach) said he’d heard from “numerous” House members Tuesday about his resolution to oust Santos. It has about 40 co-authors, with a few Republicans showing interest as well.
“That number continues to grow, and will continue to grow over the next few days,” he said. “Numerous members reached out since the charges were announced.”
Garcia called on Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) to move the resolution forward in the House.
A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment Tuesday on whether Santos had been charged.
Several accusations of criminal activity have swirled around the Republican, whose lies about his background left even some members of his own party calling for his resignation from Congress.
Santos told an Associated Press journalist who contacted him about the charges Tuesday afternoon: “That’s news to me. You’re the first to call me about this.”
The House Ethics Committee has been investigating Santos in a widespread inquiry into concerns including whether he “engaged in unlawful activity” involving his 2022 campaign and engaged in sexual misconduct toward a person seeking a job in his office.
His election last year in a Long Island, N.Y., district helped the GOP win a narrow House majority. But his background quickly came under scrutiny when the New York Times exposed fabrications that he had used in his campaign.
Santos had claimed he attended New York University and graduated from Baruch College, but later admitted he hadn’t graduated from college. He also admitted that he had never worked directly for Citigroup or Goldman Sachs, as he had initially claimed.