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U.S. Rep. George Santos will officially be investigated by the House Ethics Committee following several allegations that he lied about his resume, engaged in unlawful campaign finance activities, and engaged in sexual misconduct with a job applicant.
The committee announced Thursday that it voted unanimously on Feb. 28 to establish its investigative subcommittee. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said last month that the chamber would investigate the embattled congressman.
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The subcommittee said it will determine whether Santos “engaged in unlawful activity with respect to his 2022 congressional campaign, failed to properly disclose required information on statements filed with the House, violated federal conflict of interest laws in connection with his role in a firm providing fiduciary services, and/or engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual seeking employment in his congressional office.”
In a tweet, Santos’ office said he was “fully cooperating” with the investigation, but did not comment further.
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Santos was thrust into the spotlight after a New York Times investigation found that he had allegedly made repeated false claims about his personal, professional, and financial background.
Santos later confirmed he had lied about obtaining degrees from Baruch College and New York University, as well as about jobs at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. Santos also claimed his grandparents survived the Holocaust and fled to Brazil, but genealogy records contradict those statements.
The congressman has also been under fire for possibly hiding the source of loans that financed his 2022 campaign, with watchdog groups spotlighting several donations coming from names or addresses that do not exist.
A prospective staffer later filed a sexual harassment complaint against Santos, saying that the congressman had asked him inappropriate questions and touched him inappropriately, before rescinding a job offer. Santos previously told Semafor that the candidate had secretly recorded his conversations.