Rep. Torres called for an investigation while appearing with citizens of Santos’ 3rd Congressional District.

“He has essentially pretended to be a biracial Ukrainian-Belgian-Brazilian volleyball champion and brain cancer survivor,” Torres said, mocking the outlandish stories that Santos has told about his background and resume. A probe by the FEC would add to local and federal investigations already looking into Santos for possible illegal activity surrounding his past business dealings and campaign.

Torres, an openly gay member of Congress, has been particularly critical of Santos, who claimed to be a long-time openly gay man but was later revealed to have been married to a woman until just before his first congressional run in 2020.

Earlier this month, Torres introduced legislation known as the “Stopping Another Non-Truthful Office Seeker” Act. 

“I am appalled at the level to which George Santos has purposefully and continually lied to the American public about every facet of his professional and personal life,” Torres said when introducing the SANTOS Act. “We must work to ensure that our elected leaders are being truthful and transparent with voters, and I remain as committed as ever to doing just that,” Torres added.

The scrutiny directed toward Santos continues after numerous reports and investigations have shown that he likely lied or misled the public concerning nearly every significant detail of his life, including his education, career history, ethnicity and religion.

And as Blavity previously reported, Santos has also engaged in racist and anti-Black dog whistles and politics over the years. More allegations continue to emerge against Santos, who recently denied performing as a drag queen in Brazil, which would contradict his party’s conservative stance against such performers. In addition, Santos allegedly scammed a homeless veteran, stealing money raised through GoFundMe intended to provide life-saving surgery for the man’s dog. Even his name has come into question, with various sources showing him using aliases over the years.

Santos thus begins this year with a severe lack of credibility. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called Santos “a complete and total fraud” who is “not fit to serve in the United States Congress.” Yet, despite these many apparent lies, scams and examples of questionable activity, most Republicans have stuck with Santos, who is helping them maintain a slim majority in the House of Representatives. But as more questions and evidence emerge, some members of the GOP are now turning on Santos, and it will be increasingly difficult to justify support for Santos in Congress.