In another attempt to take down GOP Congress Member George Santos, Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres is introducing a resolution to formally censure the Queens and Long Island pol for fabricating much of his personal backstory.
The resolution, introduced on Monday, takes Santos to task for inventing a variety of takes about his past, while he ran to represent New York’s third district in Congress last year. The fibs mentioned in the motion include Santos’ claims of being Jewish and having grandparents who survived the Holocaust, that he graduated from Baruch College and that he worked at elite financial firms like Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.
“Representative George Santos repeatedly lied to voters in his district, donors, and the American public during his campaign to be elected to Congress,” the resolution reads.
The measure Torres introduced is known as a “privileged resolution,” which allows Democrats to force a House floor vote on the motion despite GOP control of the chamber. A simple majority is needed for the resolution to pass, meaning Democrats would have to sway some Republicans to support it.
In the document, Torres also pointed out that many Republican members of Congress have publicly denounced Santos, with several calling on him to resign.
Congress Member Dan Goldman (D-Manhattan/Brooklyn), who joined Torres in introducing the resolution, said in a statement that House Republicans “continue to embrace” Santos in Congress, even after he was hit with a 13-count indictment in May.
“Republican leadership and the six New York Republicans who profess to want George Santos out of Congress continue to embrace an admitted liar and an indicted fraudster in the halls of Congress,” Goldman said. “Their refusal to hold George Santos accountable is an insult not only to this institution but to the people of NY-03.”
The charges Santos faces, brought by the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, include fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and lying to the House of Representatives — to all of which he pleaded not guilty. If convicted of all the charges, Santos faces up to 20 years in prison.
Goldman also charged that Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (CA) had falsely promised the results of a House Ethics Committee probe into Santos’ conduct, which he strategically launched to put down an earlier attempt by House Democrats to expel the maligned rep from Congress, would be made public Monday.
“Speaker McCarthy said we would get a report from the Ethics Committee today — yet another false promise designed to protect Santos,” Goldman said. “I am proud to stand with my Democratic colleagues in doing what Republican leadership refuses to do – fight for George Santos’ constituents and censure him for his repeated lies and deception.”
Santos, who has ignored repeated calls to step down and is actively seeking another term, released a statement via his official Twitter account Monday afternoon that said Torres’ resolution shows House Democrats have “completely lost focus” on their work.
“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,” Santos said. “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.”
