Representative George Santos, a Republican from New York, arrives for a vote at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, Tuesday, January 31, 2023.
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Scandal-hit Representative George Santos, R.N.Y., has been criminally charged by the Justice Department, NBC News reported Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The nature of the federal charges against the new congressman, who has admitted to lying about his background, was not immediately known. Sources told NBC that Santos is set to appear in Long Island, New York, federal court on Wednesday.
Santos’s lawyer and spokesperson did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment. A spokeswoman for the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment.
News of the allegations comes just weeks after Santos announced his 2024 re-election campaign,
Santos has been under scrutiny for several scandals that have defined his brief time in Congress.
Prior to taking the oath of office, Santos admitted that he had lied about his education credentials and his work experience. He denied having committed any crime. but she’s reportedly down Multiple The investigation came as officials at multiple levels of government probed his campaign finances and other topics.
Rep. Mike Lawler, a fellow GOP freshman from New York, gave NBC a one-word feedback To the reported allegations against Santos: “Resign.”
Lawler is the latest Republican to call Santos resigns, But Santos has so far rebuked his critics, saying only the voters in his district should decide whether he stays in Congress. Some polls have found that voters in the Santos district heavily favor him. Adverse across party lines.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who has a very tight majority and cannot afford to lose more than a handful of votes, has not joined his colleagues’ calls for Santos to step down.
Asked Tuesday about Santos’ legal troubles, McCarthy said, “I will look into the allegations.”
In March a House ethics panel appointed a subcommittee to investigate possible illegal activity by Santos’ congressional campaign. The subcommittee is also investigating an allegation sexual harassment Made earlier this year by Derek Myers, a reporter who says Santos groped him in his office while the two men were alone going through constituent mail. Santos has denied the allegation.
cnn first informed of Fee first Tuesday afternoon.
