Representative George Santos, a Republican from New York, shows up for a vote at the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, United States, on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Scandal-afflicted Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., has actually been criminally charged by the Department of Justice, NBC News reported Tuesday, mentioning sources knowledgeable about the matter.
The nature of the federal charges versus the freshman congressman, who has actually confessed to lying about his background, was not right away understood. One source informed NBC that Santos might give up in court in Long Island, New York, as early as Wednesday.
Santos’ attorney and representative did not right away react to CNBC’s ask for remark. A spokesperson for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York decreased to comment.
News of the charges came simply weeks after Santos revealed his 2024 reelection project.
Santos has actually been under examination for numerous scandals that have actually specified his quick time in Congress.
Before being sworn into workplace, Santos confessed that he had “embellished” his education qualifications and his work experience. He rejected devoting any criminal offenses. But he is supposedly under several examinations as authorities at various levels of federal government probe his project financial resources and other subjects.
Rep. Mike Lawler, a fellow GOP freshman from New York, provided NBC a one-word reaction to the reported charges versus Santos: “Resign.”
Lawler is the most recent Republican to require Santos’ resignation. But Santos has actually up until now rebuffed his critics, stating just the citizens of his district need to choose whether he remains in Congress or not. Some surveys have actually discovered that citizens in Santos’ district view him extremely unfavorably throughout celebration lines.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who has an extremely tight bulk and can’t pay for to lose more than a handful of votes, has actually not joined his coworkers’ require Santos to step down.
Asked about Santos’ legal difficulty Tuesday, McCarthy stated, “I’ll look at the charges.”
A House principles panel in March designated a subcommittee to examine possible illegal activity by Santos’ congressional project. The subcommittee is likewise checking out an accusation of unwanted sexual advances made previously this year by Derek Myers, a reporter who states Santos searched him in his workplace while the 2 guys were alone going through constituent mail. Santos has actually rejected the claims.
CNN initially reported the charges previously Tuesday afternoon.
