The Republican-led Property Ethics Committee said Thursday that it has issued dozens of subpoenas and requests for information in relationship with its investigation of Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who was indicted very last month on 13 counts, which include making materially fake statements to the House.
In a assertion, the committee, which has been investigating Santos considering the fact that early March, explained that it was “actively working to take care of this subject in an expeditious timeframe” and that it had issued in excess of 30 subpoenas and additional than 40 voluntary requests for data. It did not say who had been subpoenaed, nor did it give any information on the nature of the subpoenas, citing Home and Committee guidelines on the confidentiality of its get the job done.
The ethics panel voted in February to set up an investigative subcommittee, led by Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, to determine no matter if Santos experienced engaged in illegal activity for the duration of his 2022 marketing campaign, failed to appropriately disclose needed information and facts in paperwork submitted with the Property, breached federal conflict-of-fascination legislation in connection with his purpose at a business delivering fiduciary expert services and/or engaged in sexual misconduct towards a former potential aide.
In a individual investigation, Santos pleaded not guilty last month at a Very long Island courthouse to a 13-count federal indictment charging him with wire fraud, cash laundering, theft of general public funds and creating materially bogus statements to the Home. Santos, who experienced beforehand acknowledged lying about his history, known as the expenses a “witch hunt.” He is due up coming in court on June 30.
The committee typically techniques apart when the Justice Section picks up a probe into a member of Congress, but Joyce has said that the panel will carry on to look into the New York Republican for any ethics issues within just the panel’s jurisdiction.
In its assertion Thursday, the panel said that it has been in contact with the DOJ to “mitigate the likely risks” of dual investigations while “still assembly the Committee’s obligations to safeguard the integrity of the Residence.”
The committee also said that several of the fees in the indictment ended up presently inside of the scope of its inquiry and that it voted to broaden the probe’s jurisdiction to involve three supplemental counts stemming from allegations that Santos fraudulently acquired unemployment insurance plan gains.
Santos introduced his re-election campaign in April, right before he was indicted and in spite of phone calls from fellow Republicans to resign.
Representatives for Santos and the Ethics Committee did not right away respond to requests for comment.
Kate Santaliz contributed.
