Rep. George Santos (RN.Y.) has been accused of sexual harassment and ethics violations by a future staffer who briefly worked in Santos’ office.
Driving the news: In a letter to the House Ethics Committee on Friday, former aide Derek Myers claimed he was put to work in Santos’ office as a volunteer, in violation of ethics rules, and described a case of sexual harassment. Myers shared a copy of the letter on Twitter.
- Myers alleged that on January 25, Santos asked him if he had a profile on popular LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr, before revealing that he had a profile himself.
- Later that day, Myers wrote that he was alone with Santos in his office going through voter mail when the congressman “insisted that I sit next to him on a small couch. “.
- Myers alleged that Santos put his hand on his leg and invited him to karaoke, which Myers said he refused. He wrote that Santos then moved his hand “into my inner thigh and started touching my groin” while telling Myers that her husband was out of town.
- Myers said he pushed Santos’s hand away and returned to his office soon after.
State of play: Myers also wrote that he was offered a job in the Santos office on January 23, but was forced to work as a volunteer – in violation of ethics rules – until all relevant documents were submitted. have been processed.
- On January 30, Myers wrote that he was called into Santos’ office and asked about his “journalism background” and other matters he had already disclosed to hiring managers before receiving a job offer.
- Myers had been charged with wiretapping in Ohio last year after releasing recorded testimony in court. The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for all charges to be dropped.
- On Feb. 1, Myers wrote that he had been told his job offer had been rescinded.
- Santos told Semafor on Thursday that his office was in the process of hiring Myers, but took a break after learning of the wiretapping accusations.
- Santos’ office did not respond to a request for comment from Axios.
The big picture: Myers wrote on Twitter Friday that he had filed a police report with Capitol Police and sent a letter to the House Ethics Committee “regarding ethical violations and sexual harassment by Congressman George Santos while I was working in his desk”.
- “These issues will not be brought to justice on social media or through the news media. These are serious offenses and the evidence and facts will speak for themselves if the committee takes up the case. This tweet is made public for the sake of transparency”, he added.
- Myers wrote in the letter that he was seeking an investigation into Santos.
- Although Myers’ account could not be corroborated, a spokesperson for Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), a ranking member of the House Ethics Committee, confirmed to The New York Times that his office had received the letter from Myers.
- Capitol Police did not respond to Axios’ requests for comment.
