Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who is facing backlash for lying about his résumé while running for office, called the move by House Republicans to weaken the independent Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) “fantastic.”
“I think it’s fantastic,” Santos told Insider on Monday.
The House rules package approved by Republicans would significantly impact the OCE’s ability to investigate allegations of misconduct against members of Congress.
The rules reintroduced term limits for board members, which would force out three of four Democratic-appointed members, leaving the OCE under near total control of Republican-appointed members until House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appoints their replacements, and that could take months.
The rules also prevent the OCE from hiring new staff after one month and at least four board members are required to sign off on any new hiring decisions. This means that the office would not be able to fill any vacancies that may arise over the next two years.
However, Santos argued that the changes gives OCE “more power.” He said the changes are “a good thing for transparency” and “a good thing for Americans.”
Santos has admitted to lying about his background while running for office. He is under investigation by prosecutors at the federal level, locally, and in Brazil. He also faces several OCE complaints about his finances.
[Featured image: image: Win McNamee/Getty Images]
