U.S. Democratic Representatives from New York, Ritchie Torres and Daniel Goldman, filed an official complaint with the House Committee on Ethics, Tuesday, Jan. 10, requesting an investigation into Republican Representative George Santos, who has admitted to fabricating aspects of his career, background, and personal life. 

“Congressman Torres and I feel it’s incredibly important to make sure that the integrity of the House and the integrity of its members are put front, first and foremost,” said Goldman, a former federal prosecutor who represents parts of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

This follows a month after a New York Times investigation on the self-proclaimed “embodiment of the American dream,” was released that called into question a number of career highlights, education history, and other details of the first-year lawmaker, representing parts of Long Island and Queens. 

Goldman and Torres hope the investigation will find out if Santos was in violation of the Ethics in Government Act — an anti-corruption law passed after Watergate in the 1970s — by filing his financial disclosure documents late, and withholding key information from the disclosure forms. 

Candidates are to submit the documents by May 15, with Santos not submitting his until September. 

"This investigation calls on the house to police its own because if we are to have credibility, if we are to have integrity, and if this body is to gain the trust of the American people, then we need to ensure that its members are following the ethics rules of this body that we all are required to uphold," Goldman said to reporters outside of Santos' office.

The two New York Representatives hand delivered a copy of the complaint to Santos’ office before he told the two to hand it off to one of his staffers. 

The complaint also comes days after Santos was sworn into office for the first time, only adding more pressure on top of the first-year lawmaker, who was already facing calls of resignation from his own party, as well as media and public scrutiny. 

Goldman said the investigation is necessary and important because for the most part, Republican leadership has been quiet regarding the allegations against Santos. 

"We haven't seen a single movement on the part of Republican leadership. They have not commented on this publicly. They have not condemned George Santos and all of his lies. They have adopted him as one of their own," Goldman said.

"Even though the Republicans promised to drain the swamp, we see the House Republican Conference refilling the swamp with a fraudulent George Santos, eviscerating the Office of Congressional Ethics at a time when George Santos has entered Congress with an ethical cloud hanging over him," Torres continued.

Goldman and Torres’ request for investigation will be great news for the Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog group, that also filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission this past Monday, alleging that Santos used campaign money for personal expenses, further hiding the true sources of his campaign funding, that is still much of a mystery. 

As for the outcome, Torres said the House Ethics Committee could use a number of different disciplinary actions that range from a mere fine to an expulsion, but that at least for them, the best outcome is "accountability," considering Santos is also being investigated for alleged criminal behavior.

GOP leadership has already come out and responded, saying that they would be handling the situation internally, while Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries came out and went at Santos, saying Democrats are surprised Santos is even in Congress. 

Santos himself also responded to the complaint, seemingly unbothered. 

“They’re free to do whatever they want to do,” he said. “I’ve done nothing unethical.”