Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) has made a great many headlines for his conduct and statements, including claiming to be Jewish. The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics announced on Thursday that an investigative subcommittee will investigate the freshman congressman from Long Island.
Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio) will chair the bipartisan subcommittee with Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) as ranking member, and Reps. John Rutherford (R-Neb.) and Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) as members.
The committee voted unanimously on Feb. 28 to establish the subcommittee, which will decide if 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,” according to the announcement.
The committee added that “the mere fact of establishing an investigative subcommittee does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.”
While running for office, Santos claimed to be Jewish, saying his maternal grandparents fled the Nazis and settled in Brazil. He later denied having stated that he was Jewish. He then said he is Catholic but “Jew-ish” due to the “Jewish background” of his maternal family.
In addition to the new subcommittee probe, the congressman also faces local investigations.
Of this latest one, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), who filed an ethics complaint with Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) against Santos, wrote on Twitter that now “Congress is one step closer to holding its most corrupt member accountable.”
The Republican Jewish Coalition has said Santos is unwelcome at its events.
