House Democrats move to censure George Santos

A group of House Democrats plan to introduce legislation on Monday to censure New York Republican Rep. George Santos, who has struggled to fend off criminal charges and a slew of scandals related to his sordid past and false campaign statements.

Lawmakers have previously introduced legislation to oust him from Congress, while in May the lower chamber voted to refer that resolution to the House Ethics Committee.

Monday's effort comes from Democratic Reps. Ritchie Torres, N.Y.; Robert Garcia, Calif.; and Dan Goldman, N.Y.; according to The Hill.

Santos, for his part, has defended himself as a committed member of the Republican conference and suggested Democratic efforts to punish him signal the opposition party has "lost focus."

"My record proves that my office is hard at work, serving constituents and crafting keen legislation. The Republican majority is also working hard to get the country back on track and clean up the mess left behind by destructive one-party Democrat rule. It is time to stop the political ping-pong and get real work done," he said.

The New York Republican has drawn ire from members of both parties after flipping a competitive district during the 2022 midterms. He has acknowledged fabricating parts of his resume. Instead of previously working for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup as he claimed, Santos says he worked for LinkBridge, a third firm he claims did business with both.

He has also faced accusations involving a multitude of illegal schemes, claims he previously performed as a drag queen in Brazil, and a litany of other bizarre episodes. Santos has pleaded not guilty to numerous financial charges brought by the Department of Justice and is running for reelection.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.