Lower than per week into his tenure within the Space, Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) already has regulation named after him: The SANTOS Act, which punishes congressional applicants who willfully deceive citizens about who they if truth be told are.
Two fellow New York lawmakers presented the invoice on Thursday, known as the Preventing Every other Non-Fair Officer Seeker Act. Underneath their invoice, a candidate for Congress who knowingly supplies false details about their background could be punished with a $100,000 tremendous or twelve months in jail. Or each.
The invoice from Democratic Reps. Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman come amid a gentle movement of bombshell revelations appearing that Santos lied about just about each element of his existence tale all the way through his congressional marketing campaign.
He lied about the place he went to highschool, graduating from faculty, being a celebrity volleyball participant at a faculty he by no means attended, working an actual property empire, having a high-profile profession on Wall Boulevard, working a charity that stored hundreds of canines, and being a biracial descendent of Ukrainian Jews whose grandparents survived the Holocaust.
The New York Republican has additionally claimed that his mom used to be a finance government who died on account of the 9/11 assaults and that 4 of his workers died within the 2016 Pulse nightclub taking pictures. Then again, no proof backs up both of those claims.
“I’m appalled on the degree to which George Santos has purposefully and frequently lied to the American public about each side of his skilled and private existence,” Torres stated in a observation. “His deception is a stain on our Democratic procedure and threatens to deprave the very establishment during which I’m deeply humbled and proud to serve.”
Drew Angerer by means of Getty Photographs
Santos has additionally claimed to be married to a person and solid himself as the primary overtly homosexual non-incumbent Republican elected to Congress. However the Day by day Beast may just now not discover a marriage file in New York, and when Santos arrived within the Space this month, he used to be now not dressed in a marriage ring. There’s proof he used to be up to now married, although: to a lady in Queens, whom he divorced in 2019.
“The internet of lies George Santos used to defraud his citizens is a risk to our unfastened and honest elections, and we’ve a duty to make sure not anything like this ever occurs once more,” Goldman stated in a observation. “His whole candidacy for Congress used to be predicated on a marketing campaign of disinformation designed to lie to the citizens. Santos lied about this whole biography and resume, together with faith, circle of relatives historical past, schooling, {and professional} enjoy.”
He added: “I’m proud to enroll in my fellow New York Congressman Ritchie Torres to introduce this vital piece of regulation to safeguard the democratic procedure.”
Right here’s a duplicate of the SANTOS Act. It’s not really to head any place, however it’s a hell of a kick off point for the brand new Congress.
Santos has instructed such a lot of lies that he’s these days being investigated by means of the Nassau County district lawyer, the New York State Lawyer Normal’s workplace, and federal prosecutors within the Jap District of New York.
The nonprofit Marketing campaign Felony Middle has additionally filed a criticism with the Federal Election Fee, claiming Santos illegally used marketing campaign budget for private issues like hire. And this week, Torres and Goldman filed a criticism with the Space Ethics Committee to analyze whether or not Santos has violated the federal ethics legislation.
A rising choice of individuals of Congress have known as on Santos to surrender, as have state and native New York Republican leaders.
Santos instructed newshounds Thursday he has no plans to step down except “all 142,000” New Yorkers who elected him ask him to head.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has refused to sentence Santos and stated he plans to transport ahead with seating him on committees, which he doesn’t need to do. Requested Wednesday if he deliberate to take any motion in opposition to Santos given his fictional resume, McCarthy stated best, “In The usa these days, you’re blameless till confirmed responsible.”
The truth is that McCarthy wishes Santos to stick in workplace for his personal functions as a result of the Republicans’ razor-thin majority. McCarthy can best come up with the money for to lose 4 GOP votes on the rest, and with out Santos seated, he would have an excellent tighter margin to paintings with to cross the rest.