Democrats propose censuring George Santos.
Rep. Ritchie Torres Introduces Measure to Censure Rep. George Santos
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) has introduced a measure to censure Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) for misleading statements the freshman congressman made during his 2022 campaign.
The measure, via an expedited process, would force a floor vote on the matter, bypassing committee votes, but seems unlikely to pass in the Republican-controlled lower chamber.
The same process was recently used by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) in her successful effort to censure Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) over misleading comments he made about President Donald Trump colluding with Russia ahead of the 2016 election. The move prompted backlash from Democrats, who broke into chaos on the House floor in protest.
Despite his considerable power over House process, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will be unable to stop the advancement of the measure to a floor vote unless the House Ethics Committee, which is currently investigating Mr. Santos, acts sooner.
Mr. Torres’s resolution accuses Mr. Santos of “repeatedly lying to voters in his district, donors, and the American public during his campaign” (
Rep. Ritchie Torres speaks on stage during a Community Service Society of New York event at City Winery, in New York, on Oct. 20, 2022. (Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Community Service Society of New York)
The resolution notes that it’s not just Democrats criticizing Mr. Santos—several members of his own party, including from the New York State Republican delegation, have also called on Mr. Santos to step down.
In a press conference on the resolution, Mr. Torres said, “the time has come for Congress to speak with a single voice and to publicly censure George Santos, whose lies have gone unpunished.”
“Mr. Santos has systematically lied to the American people,” Mr. Torres said. “He’s lied about every facet of his life, his employment and educational background, his business and philanthropic endeavors, his ties to historical events like the Holocaust and 9/11 and the Pulse mass shooting.
“The breadth and depth of his deception is so staggering, that he cries out for congressional punishment,” Mr. Torres added, saying it was “the least that we can do to hold George Santos accountable.”
Mr. Santos replied in a Twitter thread that Democrats were focusing on the wrong issues and pointed to his record in Congress, a common response for Mr. Santos when asked about his past statements.
“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,” Mr. 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.”
Mr. Torres’s resolution is only the latest in a series of Democrat efforts to censure Mr. Santos.
A similar effort was undertaken and failed to advance in May when Mr. McCarthy referred the measure to the Ethics Committee for further action.
Mr. Torres said that despite promises that Mr. Santos would face punitive action within 60 days following this move, no further action on the measure has happened, prompting him to begin proceedings on the current motion.
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) leaves the Capitol Hill Club as members of the press follow him in Washington on Jan. 31, 2023. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The Charges
The resolution then lists a number of specific misleading comments that Mr. Santos is accused of having made.
In one case, Mr. Santos allegedly “lied about being a member of the Jewish faith … and deliberately misrepresented that his grandparents survived the Holocaust.”
In another case, Mr. Santos falsely claimed that his mother had died in the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Mr.Santos also misrepresented his educational background, saying he had received a bachelor’s degree from Baruch College and a master’s degree from New York University. Both institutions have
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