House Ethics Committee releases scathing report on George Santos
Last edited Thu Nov 16, 2023, 02:12 PM - Edit history (2)
Source: The Hill
11/16/23 10:05 AM ET
The House Ethics Committee in a report released Thursday said there is clear evidence that Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) committed serious crimes, though it stopped short of recommending formal sanctions, as some had hoped it would do.
The panel referred its findings of "potential violations of federal criminal law" to the Department of Justice, and its report will raise questions about whether the House will expel Santos, who has been a subject of controversy since before he formally became a member of Congress -- and has publicly admitted to fabricating aspects of his backstory and resume.
"[T]he evidence uncovered by the Investigative Subcommittee (ISC) revealed that Representative George Santos cannot be trusted," the report reads. "At nearly every opportunity, he placed his desire for private gain above his duty to uphold the Constitution, federal law, and ethical principles."
The report found that Santos "blatantly stole from his campaign" and "deceived donors into providing what they thought were contributions to his campaign but were in fact payments for his personal benefit."
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4312814-house-ethics-committee-releases-scathing-report-into-george-santos/
Link to House report: https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/16/politics/read-santos-ethics-report/index.html
(Second version)
The panel referred its findings of "potential violations of federal criminal law" to the Department of Justice, and its report will raise questions about whether the House will expel Santos, who has been a subject of controversy since before he formally became a member of Congress.
"[T]he evidence uncovered by the Investigative Subcommittee (ISC) revealed that Representative George Santos cannot be trusted," the report reads. "At nearly every opportunity, he placed his desire for private gain above his duty to uphold the Constitution, federal law, and ethical principles."
While the committee did not make a formal recommendation on expulsion, as Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) told previously reporters would be the case, the top lawmakers on the panel said "Santos' conduct warrants public condemnation, is beneath the dignity of the office, and has brought severe discredit to the House."
First version:
In a statement accompanying the report, the chairman and ranking member of the panel said there is "substantial evidence" to show that Santos "knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission; used campaign funds for personal purposes; engaged in fraudulent conduct in connection with RedStone Strategies LLC; and engaged in knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act as it relates to his Financial Disclosure (FD) Statements filed with the House."
The final product is sure to exacerbate the controversy surrounding Santos, who is facing 23 federal criminal counts and has already endured two expulsion efforts -- with a third likely on the horizon.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Who accepted the credentials of George Santos in the first place? Who vetted him? Who allowed him to continue as a U.S. Representative even after it became obvious to everyone that he was unqualified and probably tainted? Who voted not to sanction or remove him from the House?
Yes the person who calls himself "George Santos" is definitely a chaos agent of the highest order. But I'm looking at a lot of failures here, not just one.
But they sanction Adam Schiff for doing a good job.
Excellent point, me friend!
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