NEW YORK — Rep. George Santos, already under the microscope of prosecutors, faced a bipartisan rebuke on Thursday from a group of his House colleagues, who unanimously ordered their own inquiry into the Republican’s outlandish campaign fabrications.
The 10-member House Ethics Committee said its investigation into Santos would examine whether he broke the law during his campaign or in connection with a financial services company, failed to properly disclose information to Congress, or engaged in sexual misconduct with a job applicant.
The committee said it voted to launch the probe on Tuesday, seven weeks after two Democratic New York congressmen filed a complaint against Santos with the panel.
A four-member investigative subcommittee has been assembled to carry out the probe. The subcommittee will be chaired by Rep. David Joyce, an Ohio Republican, with Rep. Susan Wild, a Pennsylvania Democrat, serving as ranking member, the ethics committee said.
“The committee notes that the mere fact of establishing an investigative subcommittee does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred,” the ethics panel said in a statement. “No other public comment will be made on this matter.”
In a January letter to the committee, Reps. Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman, two New York Democrats, said Santos’ financial disclosure reports were “sparse and perplexing” and called for the panel to conduct a “full investigation.”
Derek Myers, a journalist, said last month that he had filed a complaint with the committee accusing Santos of sexually harassing him. Myers claimed Santos touched his groin on Jan. 25, two days after Myers accepted a job working for the congressman. Myers’ job offer was rescinded on Feb. 1, he said.
On Thursday, Myers wrote on Twitter that he has “strong” evidence that “will be disclosed to the committee if they call upon me.”
Santos’ office said in a statement that it was “fully cooperating” with the probe. “There will be no further comment made at this time,” said the statement.
As a congressional candidate on Long Island last year, Santos, 34, fashioned a fictional resume for himself, deceiving voters about his education, religion, family history, professional experience and property ownership.
He has admitted to some of his lies, but maintained he is not a fraud or a criminal, and downplayed his fabrications as mere biographical embroidery.
Multiple American prosecutors’ offices have launched investigations into Santos, and a prosecutor’s office in Brazil said this winter that it was reviving a long-dormant criminal case against him.
On Thursday, Torres and Goldman hailed the launch of the House probe as a step toward holding Santos accountable for his myriad misrepresentations.
“Rep. Santos, by his own admission, is a terrible liar who’s done a great disservice to the people of his district and whose presence in Congress continues to represent a grave threat and danger to our democracy,” Torres said in a statement. “I am hopeful the Ethics Committee will move swiftly.”
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, a Long Island Republican whose district neighbors Santos’ district, also issued a statement praising the move by the ethics panel, declaring that all “opportunities to hold George Santos accountable for his many horrific deceptions are welcome developments.”
“Santos’s continued presence in the House of Representatives is a stain on the institution, and he should resign immediately or be expelled from Congress,” D’Esposito added.
It was not clear how the new inquiry was received by House GOP leaders. They have been cautious in their handling of Santos, aware that he played a role in securing Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s razor-thin election as speaker.
A spokesman for McCarthy, a California Republican, did not immediately reply to requests for comment on Thursday.
In two months on Capitol Hill, Santos has shown scant signs he might resign, playfully jousting with journalists and, in a first, introducing his own legislation on Tuesday. Two weeks ago, he co-sponsored a bill to make the AR-15-style assault rifle the national gun.
“I’m still the most productive freshman member of Congress from Long Island,” Santos told WNYW-TV in an interview published Wednesday.
But the announcement of the House inquiry underscored the possibility that his days as Congress’ most infamous member could be numbered.
At a news conference in January, McCarthy pledged to punish Santos if the House Ethics Committee discovers he broke any laws.
“Then,” McCarthy said, “we will remove him.”
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