A former candidate staff Rep. George Santos (RN.Y.) has been accused of sexual harassment and committing violations of House ethics, said Santos inappropriately touched the office and rescinded the job offer when someone rebuffed him.
Derek Myers announced Friday that he has filed a complaint with the US Capitol Police and the House ethics committee against the scandal-hit congressman after briefly working in Santos’ office last month under the title of “volunteer.”
Since last year’s election, Santos has continued to face separate federal, local and international investigations following revelations that he lied about his campaign background.
Myers alleges that two days to start the role, which he told him would be a paid position, Santos asked him when they were alone in the office if he had a profile on the dating app Grindr. Said Santos then groped him while he was sitting on the sofa, with the congressman allegedly putting his hand on Myers’ leg and moving to the groin.
Myers said Santos invited her back home that night, adding that her husband was out of town. Myers said he declined the offer, and two days later, he was called into the congressman’s office and the job offer was withdrawn.
“I am asking for an investigation into the sexual harassment [Congressman] Santos, also violated House Ethics rules on volunteering in the workplace by having staff promote employees to volunteer with the promise of work,” Myers said.
Santos’ communications director referred questions to his attorney, Joe Murray, who declined to comment. Tom Rust, the ethics committee’s chief counsel and staff director, also declined to comment to HuffPost on Monday. The US Capitol Police did not respond to a message seeking confirmation of the filing of a police report.
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Myers said Santos’ office, in explaining its decision not to hire him, cited his 2022 arrest for wiretapping while working as editor-in-chief of an Ohio news website. (The case is still pending, although the journalism organization is calling for the charges, a fourth-degree felony, to be dropped.)
Myers said he was told that his arrest, for allegedly illegally publishing courtroom audio, could create a “media storm and liability.” However, he said his arrest had been publicized and discussed before he got the job offer.
At separate statement, released before the harassment and ethics allegations, Myers said he asked Santos to reconsider his decision not to hire him. He also had praise for other staff amid the scrutiny of Santos and his election campaign, which Myers said had made his boss “distractable.”
Myers claimed he secretly recorded his last meeting with Santos, and provided Talking Points Memo with what he said was audio. According to TPM, the footage includes a moment when Santos admits to lying to one of his employees “like I lied to others.”
Santos “felt terrible about lying, he felt terrible that he got caught,” Myers told TPM.
Need help? Visit RAINN National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or in National Sexual Violence Resource Center website.