WASHINGTON – House Democrats are planning to file a long-shot resolution aimed at formally censuring Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., for fabricating parts of his background and lying to voters in the 2022 elections.
The censure resolution, written by Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., will be filed on Monday, USA TODAY has confirmed. The New York Times first reported the resolution.
“If you are a member of Congress who has informally condemned Mr. Santos, then you should have no trouble formally censuring him,” Torres told the New York Times. “He has disgraced the institution, and the institution should speak with one voice against his misconduct.”
The resolution has little chance of passing the Republican-controlled House but is another shot from Democrats at formally punishing Santos for his conduct.
House Democrats attempted to force a vote to expel Santos in May, but House Republicans dodged the vote and referred the resolution to the House Ethics Committee instead, avoiding having to take a formal position on Santos’ conduct.
But the censure resolution offers a new opportunity for Democrats to pressure House Republicans, some of whom have denounced Santos’ actions and have called on him to resign, to formally stake their position on the House floor.
What is a censure?
The House rarely moves to censure lawmakers, which is essentially a public rebuke of a lawmakers actions and is permanently recorded on their record.
House Republicans voted to censure Rep. Adam Schiff along party lines in June over his claims about former President Donald Trump’s connections to Russia. Democrats largely saw the censure as political theater rather than a genuine move to punish a member for wrongdoing.
The House also voted to censure Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., in 2021 when Democrats controlled the chamber, for posting an edited anime video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and President Joe Biden.
What do House Democrats want to censure George Santos for?
The censure resolution takes aim at Santos’ multiple lies about his background, including:
- Lying about being Jewish and claiming to be the grandson of Holocaust survivors.
- Falsely claiming his mother died as a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
- Misrepresenting his employment background, claiming he worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.
- Telling donors he helped produce a Spider-Man musical for Broadway.
Related:3 things to know about George Santos after arrest, wire fraud charges, more
Santos’ conduct
Since entering office, Santos has been constantly under hot water over reports that he fabricated parts of his resume on the campaign trail. The questions surrounding Santos reached a boiling point in May when he was indicted by federal prosecutors for 13 counts including fraud, money laundering and lying to Congress.
Santos has admitted to fabricating parts of his life story but has denied all other claims against him and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
