(friday P0) The House Ethics Committee is investigating Rep. George Santos

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/02/11606829 ... estigation

After months of scandal, the House Ethics Committee announced Thursday it has opened a formal investigation into New York Republican Rep. George Santos.

A statement released by the panel stated an investigative subcommittee will examine whether Santos "engaged in unlawful activity" during his 2022 campaign.

The probe will also determine whether Santos violated federal conflict of interest laws and whether he "engaged in sexual misconduct" toward an individual who was seeking a job in the freshman congressman's House office. Santos has denied that allegation.

In its statement, the Ethics Committee noted that opening an investigation "does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred." If the panel finds that Santos committed ethics violations, punishments could range from a reprimand to expulsion from the House of Representatives, depending on the severity of the conduct.


House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said Santos will remain a member in good standing in the GOP caucus until a full investigation is complete.

Santos has said he plans to serve out his full two-year term. He has admitted "embellishing" his resume before winning a seat on Long Island last November, but has repeatedly denied any criminal wrongdoing.

Santos lied to voters about his education and his career, invented a fictional Jewish heritage for his family and claimed falsely that employees working for him died in the 2016 Pulse night club shooting.
Romney tells Santos 'you don't belong here' in a tense State of the Union run-in
Politics
Romney tells Santos 'you don't belong here' in a tense State of the Union run-in

A growing number of Republicans have called for his ouster, and Santos is widely viewed as a pariah in his home district on Long Island, which includes a small portion of Queens.

Santos also faces investigations from state and federal prosecutors.

One question which he has declined to answer is where he got hundreds of thousands of dollars that he loaned to his own campaign.

[Tarmaque]

I think this is a prime time for the Republican party to (pretend) to show it has some basis in ethics. There is no other representative with so blatant disregard for the ethical norms in congress today. The rest of them either believe their own hokum (Lauren Boebert, Marjory Taylor Greene) or they at least hide their corruption better than Santos. (Ted Cruz, who is apparently hated by absolutely everyone, everywhere, all the time.)

I mean, you'd think that Santos was such low hanging fruit (pun very much intended) that he'd make the perfect sacrificial lamb for a party in desperate need of some good press. Sure that almost certainly loses them a precious vote in the House, but there's no way in hell he's getting reelected and they're highly unlikely to maintain control after the next election anyway.

Actually, that may be their strategy. Keep using him as a safe vote while they investigate him for the next two years, after which he'll be somebody else's problem and they can get a better candidate in his district.

Or perhaps I'm giving the Republican leadership too much credit.

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

I typed this before but didn't hit send...

Santos is the gift who keeps on giving.

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

I mean, you'd think that Santos was such low hanging fruit (pun very much intended) that he'd make the perfect sacrificial lamb for a party in desperate need of some good press.

You might think that if you hadn't been paying attention the last 30 years