Rep. George Santos (R-NY) failed to file his annual financial report for the last fiscal year, defying House rules that require members to disclose their annual earnings and assets — once again putting the freshman lawmaker in violation of House ethics rules.
The annual disclosures were initially due on May 15, but Santos requested a 90-day extension to submit the report, moving the deadline to Aug. 13. However, the New York Republican still had not filed his report as of Wednesday morning, according to the House financial disclosure reports database.
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Members of the House and Senate are required under the Ethics in Government Act to submit annual financial reports, or else they are subject to a $200 late filing fee. Santos could apply for a waiver to omit the violation if he meets “extraordinary circumstances,” although it remains unclear whether he would do so.
A spokesperson for Santos did not respond to a request for comment by the Washington Examiner.
The violation comes as Santos finds himself in other possible legal trouble after being indicted by the Justice Department in May on 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and lying to Congress. Santos has pleaded not guilty to the charges and dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.
House Democrats sought to oust Santos from office through an expulsion vote in mid-May, but that effort failed after House Republicans put forward a motion to refer the matter to the Ethics Committee, which needed only a simple majority to pass. No Republicans voted against the motion, securing the majority vote needed to advance the measure.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said the matter would be referred to the Ethics Committee for a 60-day review, which expired before Congress adjourned for its annual August recess. It’s unclear where things stand regarding that inquiry, and a spokesperson for the committee declined to comment on the matter.
Despite surviving an expulsion, Santos has been called on by several Republicans to resign over the last few months. That list includes fellow New York freshmen who flipped several seats in the midterm elections that were key to Republicans winning the House majority: Reps. Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY), Brandon Williams (R-NY), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Nick Langworthy (R-NY), Mike Lawler (R-NY), and Marc Molinaro (R-NY).
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Santos has repeatedly denounced efforts to remove him from office, accusing Democrats of shifting their focus from must-pass legislation making its way through Congress.
"Democrats on the other side of the aisle have completely lost focus on the work they should be doing," Santos said in a statement last month. "My record proves that my office is hard at work, serving constituents and crafting keen legislation."