Rep. George Santos, RN.Y., the freshman congressman accused of fabricating key parts of his resume, is accused of ethical violations and sexual harassment by a former future congressional aide, according to a letter posted on Twitter on Friday.
In the letter to the House Ethics Committee, Derek Myers accused Santos of groping him when he volunteered for the Legislature’s Office and requested an investigation into the alleged incident of sexual harassment and whether proper procedure had been followed regarding his work as a volunteer in Santos’ office.
Myers said Santos offered him a job, after which he briefly “volunteered” at the legislature’s office while his paperwork was processed before the offer was withdrawn last week.
Myers claimed 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 told Santos that he had a profile of his own. Myers said later that day that he was alone with Santos in his personal office on January 25, finishing mail correspondence when Santos “called me ‘buddy’ and insisted I sit next to him on a little couch.”
He claimed that Santos then invited him to go to karaoke that night. Myers said he declined Santos’ invitation before the legislator touched his crotch and said his man was out of town.
Myers also claimed that his volunteer status — which includes answering phones, reading email, and corresponding with voters — “within a congressional office without proper procedures being followed is against House Ethics.”
News of the Myers allegations was first reported by The New York Times. A spokesman for Santos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesman for Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., a senior member of the ethics committee, confirmed to NBC News that Myers’ letter had been received and declined to comment further.
Miners tweeted Friday that he also filed a report with the Capitol Police and filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics. Capitol Police did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
Myers was charged with wiretapping in Ohio last year after a small newspaper he controlled published courtroom audio testimony that someone else had originally recorded and sent to him. Journalistic organizations called for all charges against Myers to be dropped.
The allegations come as Santos comes under intense scrutiny after a shocking New York Times investigation in December found that much of his resume appeared to be fabricated, including claims that he owned numerous properties, previously in was employed by Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and had attended and graduated from Baruch College.
Santos has admitted to making some fabrications of his resume while also trying to play down his lies. In comments to the New York Post in December, Santos said, “My sins here embellish my resume. I’m sorry.”
While some fellow Republicans have called for him to resign, including GOP lawmakers in New York State, the GOP Steering Committee, which is headed by Chairman Kevin McCarthy, voted to give him two committee posts. Last month, Santos said he will withdraw from his commission assignments amid multiple inquiries into his finances and other issues.