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Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., the freshman congressman accused of fabricating key parts of his resume, is being accused of ethics violations and sexual harassment by a former prospective congressional aide, according to a letter posted to Twitter on Friday.
In the letter to the House Ethics Committee, Derek Myers accused Santos of groping him when he worked for the lawmaker’s office as a volunteer and requested an investigation into the alleged incident of sexual harassment as well as if correct procedure was followed pertaining to his work as a volunteer in Santos’ office.
Myers said he was offered a job by Santos, then he briefly worked as a “volunteer” in the lawmakers’ office while his paperwork was being processed before the offer was rescinded last week.
Myers alleged that on Jan. 25 Santos asked him if he had an account on Grindr, a popular dating app used by millions of gay men, and Santos shared that he himself had a profile. Myers said later that day he was alone with Santos in his personal office on Jan. 25 working through mail correspondence when Santos “called me ‘buddy’ and insisted I sit next to him on a small sofa.”
He alleged that Santos then invited him to go to karaoke that night. Myers said he declined Santos’ invitation, before the lawmaker touched his groin and said that his husband was out of town.
Myers also alleged that his volunteer status — which he said included answer phones, reading mail and corresponding with constituents — “within a congressional office without the correct procedures being followed is in violation of the House Ethics.”
News of Myers’ allegations was first reported by The New York Times. A spokesperson for Santos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., ranking member of the Ethics Committee, confirmed to NBC News that Myers’ letter had been received and declined to provide further comment.
Myers tweeted Friday that he also filed a report with the Capitol Police and a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics. Capitol Police have not responded to NBC News’ request for comment.
Myers was charged last year with wiretapping in Ohio after a small newspaper he ran published courtroom audio testimony that someone else originally recorded and sent to him. Journalism organizations called for all charges against Myers to be dropped.
The allegations come as Santos faces intense scrutiny following a bombshell New York Times investigation in December showed much of his résumé appeared to have been manufactured, including claims that he owned numerous properties, was previously employed by Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and had attended and graduated from Baruch College.
Santos has admitted to some of the fabrications of his resume while also attempting to downplay his lies. In remarks to the New York Post in December, Santos said: “My sins here are embellishing my résumé. I’m sorry.”
Although some fellow Republicans have called on him to resign, including GOP lawmakers in New York State, the GOP Steering Committee, which is led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, voted to give him two committee posts. Last month, Santos said he will recuse himself from his committee assignments amid multiple investigations into his finances and other issues.
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