Since the New York Times exposed that half of his CV is fabricated, Santos has come under fire. He lied about his education and work experience, leading fact-checkers to scrutinise all his statements. Since then, a Pandora's box of lies has opened. A freelance journalist uncovered that he performed as a drag queen, despite holding conservative views on drag. He also claimed that his mother died in 9/11, which turned out to be false. The fact that he is Jewish and that his family supposedly fled Germany due to fear of the Nazis also turned out to be a lie. He later admitted to not being Jewish but "Jew-ish,".
Enough reasons for the ethics committee of the U.S. House of Representatives to launch an investigation into Santos. The report is now complete and contains a laundry list of damning facts, including the misuse of his campaign funds. The committee concludes that Santos "shamelessly stole money from his campaign." During the campaign, his staff expressed concerns about finances, as Santos used campaign funds for trips and hotel stays outside his district. He also spent thousands of dollars on clothing at the luxury Italian fashion house Ferragamo, used the money to pay his rent, withdrew $800 from an ATM in a casino, spent thousands of dollars at the spa, received a botox treatment, and had a subscription to OnlyFans. Santos had previously claimed that he only recently heard about OnlyFans, which now appears to be a lie.
The report also describes that his campaign team noticed his lies. They even urged him to seek psychological help to stop lying. Furthermore, he was presented with a 141-page document outlining "weaknesses" in the story he told the media about himself. It stated, among other things, that there was no evidence of obtaining a university degree. The lies were so burdensome that his campaign team advised him to withdraw from the election race. When he refused, three staff members left.
Santos says he will not run for re-election in 2024, but this may not be the end of the matter. Both Republicans and Democrats are considering the possibility of immediately dismissing Santos from the House of Representatives. A two-thirds majority is required for this. Whether enough Republicans will vote for his dismissal is uncertain, as a re-election in Santos's New York district could result in a Democrat being elected.
