U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY) sits in the House Chamber prior to U.S. President Joe Biden delivering his State of the Union address at 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 investigate embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., for a range of potential ethical violations.
That subcommittee will probe whether Santos engaged in unlawful activity in his 2022 congressional campaign and “failed to 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 an individual seeking employment in his congressional office,” the release said.
Santos, a freshman House member, has been under fire since shortly before taking office in January as a result of a series of media reports that have revealed he lied about details of his professional, personal and educational 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 will be no further comment made at this time.”
Rep. David Joyce, an Ohio Republican, was tapped to serve as 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 as the panel’s ranking Democrat.
“The Committee notes that the mere fact of establishing an Investigative Subcommittee does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred,” the release said.
The inquiry into possible sexual misconduct by Santos relates to a claim last month made by a man named Derek Myers, who has said the lawmaker groped him when Myers was exploring the possibility of working on Santos’ staff.
Santos has denied Myers’ allegations.
In a statement to CNBC, Myers said, “The misconduct by the Congressman is a series of unfortunate events.”
“The evidence is strong with respect to my involvement; evidence that will be disclosed to the committee if they call upon me,” Myers said. “Who will the committee and the American people believe? A person who has openly admitted to being a pathological liar in order to secure a seat of power in the House, or a career-journalist who was trying to make a break on the Hill, who has spent his life delivering the truth, facts, and has hard evidence?”
– CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger contributed to this article.
