A Democratic congressman from New York is introducing a bill that he says will punish candidates who lie to voters, and the legislation has a not unfamiliar name.
The SANTOS Act, brought forward by Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), stands for Stop Another Non-Truthful Office Seeker. Torres said in a tweet Wednesday night that he was “introducing a bill to require candidates to disclose under oath their employment, educational, & military history so we can punish candidates who lie to voters about their qualifications.”
George Santos (R-NY) is a Republican congressman-elect who has taken extreme criticism for promoting false claims about his background.
GEORGE SANTOS CLAIMED MOTHER WAS KILLED IN 9/11 BEFORE BACKTRACKING TO SAY SHE DIED IN 2016
Santos, who was elected to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District, has admitted to lying on the campaign trail, but maintains he will still take office. The freshman lawmaker has been criticized for falsely claiming he was Jewish, lying about his work history, fabricating his education history, and most recently, claiming his mother was killed during the 9/11 attacks only to follow up five months later to say she died in December 2016.
Santos has faced support from some Republicans, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, while drawing the ire of others. Democrats have called on the 34-year-old congressman-elect to resign.
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The Republican Nassau County district attorney has launched an investigation into Santos amid the Republican’s admissions over fabrications. Rep.-elect Nick LaLota (R-NY) released a statement on Tuesday calling for a House Ethics Committee investigation or law enforcement to get involved “if necessary.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James’s (D) office also recently stated it would look into the matter.
