Roll Call: Democrats ask ethics panel to probe Santos’ financial disclosures
Roll Call: Democrats ask ethics panel to probe Santos’ financial disclosures
Two New York Democratic House members filed a complaint Tuesday with the House Ethics panel against their fellow Empire State Rep. George Santos, a Republican who has found himself mired in scandal since winning his seat in November.
Reps. Dan Goldman, a freshman like Santos, and Ritchie Torres, who is serving his second term, requested in a six-page letter that the committee investigate allegations against Santos. They said Santos failed to file “timely, accurate, and complete financial disclosure reports as required by law.”
It’s just the latest in a string of problems for Santos, who has been the subject of numerous news stories and, subsequently, calls for investigations into his campaign finances and other matters. Santos also faces criminal investigations, according to news reports. …
Members of Congress, and not the general public, may file complaints with the House Ethics Committee, which may conduct its probes in secret.
The Office of Congressional Ethics, by contrast, will take complaints from outsiders and produces reports that are made public.
House Republicans, in their rules package for the 118th Congress, made changes to OCE that outside ethics groups said would gut the office, leading to less public transparency of such probes.
Though the House GOP-backed changes appear subtle, such as imposing term limits on OCE board members, they could make it difficult for OCE to staff up and make other decisions, if the office does not have a full slate of board members.
“House Republicans’ proposal will handcuff the nonpartisan ethics office, making it more difficult to ensure there are consequences for breaking the rules,” said Aaron Scherb, senior director of legislative affairs at Common Cause, in a news release Monday evening after the House GOP approved its rules package. “As their first legislative act, Congressional Republicans have decided to significantly weaken the independent ethics office. Their actions are a complete failure of leadership.”