Beleaguered New York Congressman George Santos has been cleared of sexual harassment and discrimination allegations by the Office of Congressional Ethics (OEC).
A February investigation by the OCE was opened after a prospective staffer, Derek Myers, said Santos made improper advances toward him and discriminated against him when applying for a job. The House Ethics Committee announced the investigation early in March.
After his rejection for a job, Myers released recorded conversations with the congressman and other staffers. They declined to hire him, and he released the recordings to the news media.
Meyers filed an ethics complaint that was outside the information contained in the recordings.
OEC investigators said there was no substantial reason for believing Rep. Santos sexually harassed or discriminated against a prospective Santos staffer, Derek Myers.
Santos was cleared of any wrongdoing in the harassment case and is no longer under investigation for those charges.
When reached for comment, Meyers said he had not been made aware of the final decision by the Office of Congressional Ethics and had no comment on the matter.
Santos’s problems began after a New York Times story detailing his untruthful biography, which included falsifying his education, work history, and family background.
His various claims include that his grandparents had escaped the German Holocaust, that his mother was in the south tower during the 9/11 attack, and he was a male model and a volleyball star in college.
After the falsehoods emerged, Santos removed himself from committee assignments in January and indicated he would still be running for reelection in 2024.
At the same time, Santos is under investigation for his alleged campaign finance violations in the 2020 election.
Santos is accused of deceptive accounting practices in various purchases he made during the campaign and hiding the actual sources of campaign donations. Some investigators this Santos campaign treasurer may not have been a certified campaign employee.
Santos has also been accused of fraud in Brazil, where he lived for several years. Brazilian authorities could not locate Santos, so the investigation was suspended.
