Yahoo Finance George Santos Accused of Touching Prospective Staffer's Groin — Then Denying Him a Job After Getting Rejected
Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images Rep. George Santos outside his office on Capitol Hill
George Santos is facing another bombshell allegation, with a prospective staffer saying he's just filed a police report and House Ethics complaint that accuse the congressman of sexual harassment.
Former Ohio reporter Derek Myers claims that on Jan. 25, during a private encounter in Rep. Santos' office, the congressman "touched" his groin, according to the complaint. Myers alleges that Santos then invited him to his home, noting that his husband was out of town.
Myers says that he denied Santos' advances and promptly left the office, and that five days later — even though he had already started working on Santos' team — a formal job offer was rescinded. (Myers claimed in a Twitter thread that he was "an unpaid volunteer performing staff duties with the promise of employment and compensation, only to be released after several days of work without compensation." That in itself, he said, is a violation of House Ethics and reason enough to expel Santos from Congress.)
Santos' lawyer declined to comment on the charges when reached by PEOPLE Monday afternoon.
Santos himself told CNN in a brief interview on Monday that Myers' sexual harassment allegations are "comical" and he "100%" denies them.
Sexual harassment (and assault) is not “comical.” These are serious offenses. Filing a false police report would be a crime. If you’ve been harassed or assaulted and need someone to speak with, @RAINN has a free, confidential hotline: 800.656.4673. I’ll reserve further comment. https://t.co/z3DaJGj2HK
— Derek Myers (@DerekMyers) February 6, 2023
Santos reportedly cited a controversy from Myers' past as the reason for cutting him loose: While Myers was working as a local journalist in Ohio last fall, he was charged with wiretapping for publishing courtroom audio that a source had recorded, CNN reports. The case is ongoing, CNN notes, and pro-journalism advocacy groups have been urging prosecutors to drop the charge.
In a statement to PEOPLE about his allegations of sexual harassment, Myers characterized the past couple of weeks as "an unfortunate series of events."
"Sexual assault is not something anyone should be subjected; no matter the level. There are victims of violent assaults who have to live with trauma everyday for the rest of their lives because they were taken advantage," he said. "My brush with assault was non-violent and my thoughts are with those who have to live with nightmares from their horrific experiences. No one, no matter the extent should be violated."
PEOPLE is awaiting comment from the ranking member of the House Ethics Committee and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
