A press release posted on Mr. Santos’ House page on Tuesday said he was “inaugurated as a member of the United States House of Representatives by the Speaker of the House on January 3, 2023,” although this is not a common one. and may be automated.
The same statement was posted on the websites of other freshman lawmakers, including California Democrat Robert Garcia. Michael Lawler, New York Republican. Yadira Carabeo of the Colorado Democratic Party.
This mistake illustrates the potential pitfalls of scheduling press releases based on the assumption that politics in Washington will go smoothly.
Elected members of the House did not take the oath on Tuesday after House Republicans, who secured a majority in November, failed to elect a speaker after McCarthy’s bid was blocked. You cannot take the oath until you are The House of Representatives is scheduled to convene at noon on Wednesday for a fourth vote.
The House Chief Executive’s office told The Washington Post on Wednesday it had no comment on the matter and declined to say why the message was posted on the lawmakers’ website. Santos’ statement has been removed online. , but some others remain open.
Nonetheless, political commentators and avid Twitter users say Santos, 34, is a string of accused fabulists whose actions are being investigated by the New York Attorney General and Nassau County and Queens District Attorneys. Brazilian authorities are also seeking resurrection of 15-year-old fraud charges against him.
“Isn’t the first thing George Santos put out in writing from Congress true? Shocked,” wrote one Twitter user. Said.
“At best, it was a scheduled post and his people forgot to cancel it. At worst, well, we all know,” said another. I have written.
“Oath-like” is another After Santos claimed to the New York Post that he embellished his ancestry, he retorted, apparently referring to him saying he was “Jewish.”
Santos was elected to represent New York’s Third District in November, upending a key Republican seat. The uproar ensued last month after The New York Times and others outlined an apparent fabrication of Santos’ job, education and career.
“I’m sorry if I let anyone down with my résumé embellishment,” Santos told WABC radio in New York last week, adding: take office. ”
Democrats demanded his resignation. Republican congressional leaders, including McCarthy, have been largely silent despite his pleas not to be seated.
On Tuesday’s opening day, Santos dodged questions from a swarm of reporters as he walked down the hallway with his backpack on his back. On the floor of the House, he sat almost alone on the Republican side during the vote, endorsing McCarthy as Speaker.
McCarthy failed by three ballots, earning the 218 votes he needed to take the chair’s gavel. That he failed to get the job done with his one vote hadn’t happened since 1923, with Republican far-right loyalists unmoved by concessions during his leadership bid to create a split in the party. embossed.
Republicans, who won the House of Representatives by a slim majority in November’s midterm elections, will need near-consensus in Congress to move the vote forward.
If a speaker is not elected, the House cannot pledge all lawmakers to vote on a package of rules, and further delays will affect the work of committees, as new lawmakers like Santos will not be able to vote by email, etc. will lose access to basic office functions.
Kendra Nichols, Marianna Sotomayor, Dan Zak, and Ben Terris contributed to this report.
