Rep. George Santos offers to co-sponsor bill targeting him
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Rep. George Santos in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Republican Rep. George Santos offered Thursday to co-sponsor a bill that's aimed at stopping the embattled New York congressman from profiting after leaving Congress, Politico first reported.
Driving the news: Santos made the request to Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.), lead sponsor of the bill that would prevent Congress members convicted of certain crimes from profiting off book deals, speeches and other ways former lawmakers can cash in after leaving office.
- Santos said in the letter that in addition to co-sponsoring the bill he hoped "you will join me on similar housekeeping legislation that I hope to have to prepared by the time we return from next week’s district work period."
Context: Santos is under local investigation after he admitted to "embellishing" large portions of his résumé, which formed a central part of his election campaign.
- He also faces a federal investigation into his alleged role in a fundraising campaign for a U.S. Navy veteran with disabilities who was trying to get life-saving surgery for his dying service dog.
Meanwhile, the House Ethics Committee has launched an investigation into potential "unlawful activity" stemming from Santos' 2022 campaign, including potential improper financial disclosures and possible violations of federal conflict of interest laws.
Worth noting: D'Esposito, a fellow freshman congressman whose district borders Santos' in Long Island, was the first Republican Congress member to call for Santos' resignation.
- D'Esposito tweeted Thursday an article about the bill targeting Santos with the comment that he "spent the greater part of my career keeping criminals off the streets of New York" as an NYPD detective "and now I want to keep fraudsters out of the halls of Congress."
Background: D'Esposito introduced "The No Fame for Fraud" resolution with fellow first-term Reps. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) — who previously called Santos "a sociopath."
Go deeper: George Santos tells colleagues he's stepping down from House committees
