House Democrats unveil legislation to censure George Santos

A trio of House Democrats unveiled a resolution to censure Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) Monday, the latest push by Democrats to penalize the New York Republican who for months has battled questions about his background and finances.

The privileged resolution, which spans three pages, lists a number of lies Santos has made, including that he misrepresented his educational background, falsely claimed that he received a volleyball scholarship for college and inaccurately said he worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, according to a draft copy obtained by The Hill.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), who is leading the push, formally unveiled the resolution during a press conference at the Capitol Monday afternoon alongside Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), two original co-sponsors.

“Various members of Congress at various points have informally condemned Mr. Santos for systematically lying to the American people and defrauding the United States Congress. But the time has come for Congress to speak with a single voice and to publicly censure George Santos, whose lies have gone unpunished,” Torres said.

The move comes after House Democrats made an unsuccessful attempt to expel Santos in May, days after he was indicted on 13 federal charges. Prosecutors accused him of misleading donors and misrepresenting his finances to the public and government agencies. He has pleaded not guilty. The censure resolution does not mention the indictment.

The House ultimately voted to refer the expulsion resolution to the Ethics Committee, an act that was largely redundant because the Ethics panel has been investigating Santos for months.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) at the time said he wanted the panel to examine the matter “quickly.”

A Democratic staffer had told The Hill that Torres would introduce the privileged resolution on Monday, exactly two months later.

The staffer said the sponsors reserve the right to call the resolution up for a vote at a time of their choosing, which would force action on the measure within two legislative days. Sponsors plan to do so before August recess unless the Ethics Committee acts first. The House is scheduled to break for recess on July 28.

The Ethics Committee issued a rare statement about the Santos investigation in June, announcing that the panel expanded its probe to include allegations that the congressman fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits. The panel did not, however, give an update on timing for its investigation, only saying that the investigative subcommittee “is actively working to resolve this matter in an expeditious timeframe.”

Asked on Monday if the Ethics Committee’s investigation will end before August recess, and how he thinks Republicans should vote on the censure resolution, McCarthy criticized Democrats before underscoring the independent nature of the Ethics panel.

“This is their entire agenda,” he told reporters. “I think the American public wants them to focus on a little more.”

“But the one thing I will tell you here is, we have this sent to Ethics, Ethics needs to do their job. As all of you know, ‘cause you’ve covered this body, Ethics is a equal number of Republicans and Democrats. We don’t get involved within the Ethics Committee. These are individuals, will do their job and get their work done and follow through on whatever they need to find,” he added.

In a statement on Monday, Santos said, “Democrats on the other side of the aisle have completely lost focus on the work they should be doing.”

“My record proves that my office is hard at work, serving constituents and crafting keen legislation,” he continued. “The Republican majority is also working hard to get the country back on track and clean up the mess left behind by destructive one-party Democrat rule. It is time to stop the political ping-pong and get real work done.”

Santos — who was elected to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District in November — has drawn criticism since before he was sworn into office, as questions arose regarding his resume and finances. His federal indictment added to the controversy.

Santos, however, has remained adamant that he will continue serving in Congress, ignoring bipartisan calls for his resignation and ouster. The freshman lawmaker announced a reelection bid in April, and earlier this month, campaign finance reports showed that he raked in $133,000 in the second quarter of this year.

The move to censure Santos marks the second time this Congress that lawmakers will weigh in on formally reprimanding one of their colleagues.

Last month, House Republicans voted to censure Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) for his efforts against former President Trump.

Democrats protested the Schiff censure in a rowdy demonstration on the House floor, some of whom mentioned Santos.

“Where’s Santos,” Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) yelled.

“Where do you stand on Santos, Mr. Speaker?” Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) said.

Updated at 6:24 p.m.