Embattled Republican congressman George Santos has been accused of ethics violations and sexual harassment, per a letter the alleged victim sent to the House Committee on Ethics and also posted to Twitter on Friday.
Derek Myers claims he briefly worked in Mr Santos’s office and that he had a job offer there rescinded earlier this week, according to a report in The New York Times.
In the letter sent to the House Committee, Mr Myers alleges that he was alone with Mr Santos in his office on 25 January when the congressman invited him to karaoke and touched his groin; the congressman also allegedly asked if Mr Myers had an account on Grindr, a popular queer dating app.
A spokeswoman for Representative Susan Wild, ranking member of the House Ethics Committee, confirmed to The Times that this letter had been received by her office. Mr Myers wrote in his now-viral Twitter thread that “these matters will not be litigated on social media or through news media.”
“They are serious offenses and the evidence and facts will speak for themselves if the committee takes up the matter. This tweet is being made public in light of transparency,” he said.
Mr Myers also alleges that the harassment he claims to have experienced occurred five days before he secretly recorded Mr Santos.
Earlier this week, bombshell secret tapes caught Mr Santos admitting that he “lied to everyone” following a wave of allegations and admissions that he fabricated most of his professional profile and resume before he was elected in November.
In the audio obtained by Talking Points Memo, Mr Santos is heard telling a prospective staffer that he had lied, including to his chief of staff Charley Lovett.
“I’ve obviously f***** up and lied to him, like I lied to everyone else,” he says in the audio. “And he still forgave me and gave me a second shot, unlike some other people.”
In the recording, Mr Santos is also heard offering advice about Botox, saying: “Stop going to Colombia for your diluted Botox.”
The candid insight into Mr Santos’ office comes as he stood down from his committee assignments this week amid mounting scrutiny into his campaign finances.
Federal law enforcement also is reportedly investigating a claim that he stole money from a GoFundMe set up to pay for surgery for a disabled veteran’s dying dog.
