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House Ethics Committee Opens Inquiry Into George Santos


The House Ethics Committee announced Thursday that it has opened an investigation into Representative George Santos, the struggling Republican from New York who is under close scrutiny for his lies about his cause. his calendar and campaign finance questions.

The investigation will cover several areas where Mr Santos is accused of financial or sexual misconduct. The committee said in a statement that it would seek to determine whether Mr. Santos failed to properly disclose information about financial disclosures in the House of Representatives, violated federal conflict of interest laws or engaged engaged in other illegal activity during his 2022 congressional campaign. It will also look into allegations of sexual misconduct from a prospective congressional aide who briefly worked in Mr. Santos’ office.

Mr. Santos, who represents parts of Long Island and Queens, say on Twitter that he was “fully cooperating” with the investigation and would not comment further.

The action began on Tuesday when the 10-member body, split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, unanimously voted to create an investigative subcommittee to scrutinize Mr. Santos, according to a statement. was launched on Thursday by the most senior members of the Republican and Democratic parties.

The subcommittee will have four members — two Democrats and two Republicans — and will be led by Representative David Joyce, an Ohio Republican.

Two Democratic legislators from New York first request an ethics investigation in January, and some of Santos’ Republican colleagues voiced support for the move.

Kevin McCarthy, the speaker of the House, largely determined Mr. Santos’ fate in Congress based on the results of a House ethics investigation.

Although some of Santos’ Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives, as well as local Republican officials in New York, have urged Santos to step down, McCarthy has said he will not put pressure on him. compel the first term representative to do so. But he has vowed that the House will “act” if the Ethics Committee finds a reason to do so.

Mr. McCarthy’s stance towards Mr. Santos, who is also facing investigations from federal and local prosecutors as well as the Federal Election Commission, appears to have hardened in recent days. recent week.

Even as some Republicans expressed an unwillingness to work with Santos while he faced investigations, McCarthy and Republican leaders initially appointed him to two committees. ban. At the time, Mr McCarthy argued that Mr Santos was duly elected and should not be punished.

But Mr. Santos later withdrew himself from the committees at the direction of the leadership of the House of Representatives.

“We don’t allow him to be on the committees,” Mr McCarthy said last month, later adding that he and Mr Santos “had a conversation and we decided it was for the best in the future.” right now.”

The timing of the Ethics Committee’s investigation remains unclear. Critics often argue that the body is too slow, with representatives often preferring to see other legislators resign or expire rather than have to hand out penalties to their colleagues.

If the committee finds that Mr. Santos violated ethics, it will have a range of disciplinary options, including fines or recommending that the House pass a resolution censoring or reprimanding him. In extreme cases, the committee can recommend expelling a member from the House of Commons, but such action is rare and would require a two-thirds majority.

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