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House Dems' resolution will force GOP to defend or censure George Santos and his lies
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Jul 18, 2023
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Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Jul 18, 2023
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House Democrats want to strong-arm Republicans to publicly admonish one of their own, Rep. George Santos, for repeatedly lying to his constituents and Congress — or be on the record refusing to do so.
Rep. Ritchie Torres introduced a privileged resolution on Monday to censure Santos, the embattled eastern Queens and Long Island representative facing a barrage of investigations and inquiries into his background, which will force a vote on the measure despite Republican opposition.
“The breadth and depth of his deception is so staggering that it cries out for congressional punishment,” Torres said at a press conference on Monday. “A public censure is the least we can do to hold George Santos accountable.”
Neither Santos nor his spokesperson immediately responded to a request for comment.
Under House rules, Torres may call for a vote on the censure measure at a time of his choosing and then it must be voted on within two legislative business days.
The text of the resolution includes a list of some of Santos’ well-known mistruths, including claims that he’s Jewish and that his grandparents are Holocaust survivors; that his mother died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks; that he received a bachelor’s degree from Baruch College and attended the school on a volleyball scholarship and even that he produced the Broadway musical ‘‘Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark.”
If the censure resolution is adopted, Santos would need to stand on the House floor and hear the charges against him read aloud. The measure would need a majority vote to pass in the Republican-controlled House and already at least two Republican members have said they’d vote yes: Rep. Mike Lawler, who represents the Hudson Valley; and Rep. Nick LaLota, also from Long Island.
Last month, Republicans censured California Rep. Adam Schiff over his role investigating former President Donald Trump during his first impeachment trial.
In May, Democrats attempted to expel Santos from the House just a week after he was indicted in federal court on 13 counts of money laundering and wire fraud, but that effort was sidelined by House Republicans.
Santos already faces an investigation by the House ethics committee. But Democrats are accusing Republican leadership of “slow-walking the investigation” because they need Santos to maintain their paper-thin majority.
Democrats are expected to call up the resolution within the next two weeks ahead of the August recess, according to a Democratic staffer familiar with the matter.
The recess begins on July 31.
Tagged
new york state
new york city
George Santos
long island
bronx
queens
Politics
Brigid Bergin
Brigid Bergin is an award-winning senior reporter on the People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. In 2022, she hosted a live, ten-week call-in politics show ahead of the midterm elections called The People's Guide to Power. Brigid's reporting in 2017 included some of the first coverage of a political newcomer now known as AOC. In 2016, she broke the news of a voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary, triggering city, state and federal investigations. Brigid also guest hosts The Brian Lehrer Show and All Of It. She graduated from the University at Albany and the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-723-4719.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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