House Speaker Kevin McCarthy confirmed that freshman GOP Congressman George Santos is now facing a probe by the House Ethics Committee. The probe will vary what the House panel finds.
A former aide had accused the Congressman of sexual harassment, which a letter was sent to the committee last Friday. Derek Myers, the aide and man accusing Santos, worked as a volunteer as he was alone with the Congressman on Jan. 25 discussing mail from other constituents..
According to the letter, Myers claimed that Santos asked him if he had a Grindr account, a dating app catering to LGBT community. Santos then said that he had a Grindr account.
Myers said Santos also asked him to sit next to him and then placed his hand on his groin. In another incident he asked Myers to go out with him for karaoke night. The aide declined this and other unwanted advances.
Myers filed a report to the U.S. Capitol Police regarding these claims.
Santos violated House Ethics procedures when he promised Myers future employment.
“I have learned that such volunteer work within a Congressional office without the correct procedures being followed is a violation of the House Ethics, and I am requesting this serve as an official request for an investigation into the violation of allowing a volunteer to work in the workplace and offload work from paid stat members onto the volunteer with the promise of future,” Myers wrote, according to the Hill.
This is merely the latest controversy facing Santos.
Santos previously admitted to lying about his background that included his employment at Goldman Sachs, his degree from Baruch University, and his mother dying during the 9/11 attacks, according to the New York Times.
Santos falesly claimed a background of Jewish ancestry and that his maternal grandparents were born in Brazil.
“I never claimed to be Jewish,” Mr. Santos told The New York Post. “I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background.”
McCarthy later stated on the Santos probe, “Ethics is moving through, and if ethics finds something, we’ll take action. Right now, we’re not allowing him to be on committees from the standpoint of the questions that have arisen.”
With the probe looming and his constituents demanding Congress to vote for expulsion, Santos told reporters that he welcomes the notion and does not see himself as a distraction.
“You’re saying that freedom of speech of constituents is a distraction to my work?” Santos said. “Do you think people are a distraction to the work I’m doing here?”
