Lying congressman George Santos accused of sexually harassing aide

A former aide claims the Republican congressman, already defying calls to resign over fabrications on his CV, touched his groin and invited him to his house days after he was hired.

George Santos has been accused of sexual harassment by a former aide. Picture: Getty Images

George Santos, the Republican congressman who is defying calls to resign over fabrications on his CV and alleged campaign finance irregularities, has been accused of sexual harassment by a former aide.

Mr Santos, 34, is facing investigations over lies he told on the campaign trail last year, including that his grandparents fled the Holocaust and that his mother died in the World Trade Centre during the September 11 attacks.

In the latest allegation against the New York representative, Derek Myers claimed that Santos touched his groin and invited him to his house days after he was hired as an aide two weeks ago.

According to a copy of his complaint to the House ethics committee, tweeted by Mr Myers, Mr Santos asked his aide to sit next to him on a small sofa when they were alone in his congressional office. Mr Myers claimed Mr Santos put his hand on his knee and said: “Hey buddy, we’re going to karaoke tonight. Would you like to go?” When Mr Myers declined, he claimed Mr Santos “proceeded to take his hand and move it down my leg into my inner thigh and proceeded to touch my groin”. Mr Myers alleged that Mr Santos then said: “My husband is out of town tonight if you want to come over.”

Mr Myers said he pushed Mr Santos away and left the office.

He added that he was summoned to a meeting days later and questioned about his work as a journalist in Ohio, where he faced wire-tapping charges after publishing audio of courtroom testimony. The next day Mr Myers was told that an offer of a permanent job on Mr Santos’s staff had been rescinded. Mr Myers has also released recordings of conversations with Mr Santos in which the congressman appeared to admit that he “f..ked up”. He also expressed fears that the aide would make secret recordings of him.

Mr Santos has not commented on the sexual harassment allegation. His lawyer declined to comment.

He is being investigated over reports that some donors named in financial documents do not appear to exist, and is yet to explain the origin of a $US700,000 ($1,000,000) loan he made to his own campaign. He is also alleged to have stolen thousands of dollars raised to cover lifesaving surgery for a US navy veteran’s service dog, which later died.

The congressman appears to have gone by several aliases before running for congress, including performing as a drag queen in Brazil under the stage name of Kitara.

The Times