U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY) sits within the House Chamber prior to U.S. President Joe Biden delivering his State of the Union address on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., February 7, 2023.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
The House ethics committee said Thursday that it has appointed a subcommittee to analyze embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., for a spread of potential ethical violations.
That subcommittee will probe whether Santos engaged in illegal activity in his 2022 congressional campaign and “didn’t properly disclose required information on statements filed with the House,” a news release said.
The panel also will examine whether Santos violated federal conflict of interest laws related to his work for a financial firm, and whether he “engaged in sexual misconduct towards a person searching for employment in his congressional office,” the discharge said.
Santos, a freshman House member, has been under fire since shortly before taking office in January in consequence of a series of media reports which have revealed he lied about details of his skilled, personal and academic background.
In a tweet from his official Twitter account, Santos wrote, “The House Committee on Ethics has opened an investigation, and Congressman George Santos is fully cooperating. There can be no further comment made right now.”
Rep. David Joyce, an Ohio Republican, was tapped to function chair of the investigative subcommittee by the House Committee on Ethics, which unanimously approved the panel’s creation on Tuesday, the news release said.
Rep. Susan Wild of Pennsylvania will serve because the panel’s rating Democrat.
“The Committee notes that the mere fact of building an Investigative Subcommittee doesn’t itself indicate that any violation has occurred,” the discharge said.
The inquiry into possible sexual misconduct by Santos pertains to a claim last month made by a person named Derek Myers, who has said the lawmaker groped him when Myers was exploring the potential for working on Santos’ staff.
Santos has denied Myers’ allegations.
In an announcement to CNBC, Myers said, “The misconduct by the Congressman is a series of unlucky events.”
“The evidence is powerful with respect to my involvement; evidence that can be disclosed to the committee in the event that they call upon me,” Myers said. “Who will the committee and the American people consider? A one who has openly admitted to being a pathological liar in an effort to secure a seat of power within the House, or a career-journalist who was attempting to make a break on the Hill, who has spent his life delivering the reality, facts, and has hard evidence?”
– CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger contributed to this text.
