Representative George Santos, a Republican congressman from New York, has been charged with a crime by the Department of Justice, according to NBC News, which cited anonymous sources. The nature of the charges has not been disclosed. Santos, who has previously admitted to lying about his background, is reportedly under investigation in relation to his campaign finances and is also being probed by a House ethics panel over potential unlawful activity by his campaign. A subcommittee was appointed by the panel in March and is also investigating an allegation made by journalist Derek Myers, who claimed he was sexually harassed by Santos. The scandal-plagued congressman has faced calls to resign from several Republicans, but has refused, stating only voters in his district should decide his political future.
George Santos has faced a number of scandals since entering office, including admitting to embellishing his credentials, prompting Republican Mike Lawler to criticize him for not being honest, while calling for him to resign. Polls of his district reportedly show Santos is viewed unfavorably according to voters from both major parties. As Santos is under the cloud of two investigations and charges on unknown crimes, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has yet to join colleagues calling for the freshman congressman to leave office.
