Gay Rep. Ritchie Torres’ SANTOS Act Would Punish Politicians Who Lie on Their Resume – Them
Newly elected Republican Congressman George Santos and his cavalcade of lies have spurred New York representatives Dan Goldman and Ritchie Torres to introduce the Stopping Another Non Truthful Office Seeker Act, also known as the SANTOS Act.
The bill is, of course, named for Santos, Congress’ newest stunt queen. The recently elected lawmaker, who is the first non-incumbent gay Republican elected to Congress, has reportedly lied about almost all of the biographical details that he campaigned on, including his supposed background in finance, his philanthropy, and his college education.
In light of that, the SANTOS Act will require any potential candidates for Congress to file their educational background, military service, and employment history with the Federal Elections Commission, per a press release published Thursday. Falsifying said information will now be punishable by a fine of $100,000, a year in prison, or both.
In a statement, Torres said he was “appalled at the level to which George Santos has purposefully and continually lied to the American public about every facet of his professional and personal life.” Torres went on to say that Santos’ deception is “a stain on our Democratic process and threatens to corrupt the very institution in which I am deeply humbled and proud to serve.”
Goldman added that Santos’ “web of lies” represents “a threat to our free and fair elections, and we have an obligation to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”
That’s not the end of the scrutiny that Santos is facing either. On Monday, the nonpartisan group Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint against Santos with the Federal Election Commission, alleging extensive campaign fraud. The complaint, obtained by the Washington Post, presents evidence indicating that Santos’ campaign may have illegally received money, that it deliberately falsified disbursement reporting, and that it used funds for personal purposes, including rent payments.
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Santos, for his part, has been dodging the press nonstop, as shown by a video posted to Twitter by ABC reporter Rachel Scott. Although reporters have been dogging Santos, he refused to answer questions and simply stated that he’d be addressing the media soon “on [his] time.”
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