Santos is accused of harassing a future staffer in his DC office
Representatives for Santos referred questions to the congressman’s attorney on Sunday. Joseph Murray, an attorney for Santos, declined to comment. The New York Times reported news of the lawsuit filing on Saturday evening.
Santos told online outlet Semafor last week that he had not hired Myers after learning he was facing wiretapping charges in Ohio and finding his answers about his background “evasive. “.
Myers, 30, was arrested last year and charged when, while working as a freelance journalist, he published a leaked audio he obtained from a murder trial. The Society of Professional Journalists criticized Myers’ arrest and called it a threat to press freedom and the First Amendment.
In the lawsuit against Santos, Myers said he applied to work as a legislative correspondent and assistant to the New York legislator. Myers said he went to the office on January 24, met the staff and “assigned himself an office.” He said he spent the rest of the day working, although his title was “‘volunteer’ until my paperwork is processed”.
On Jan. 25, Myers said he was alone with Santos in his “home office, going through mail correspondence,” when the congressman changed the subject of the conversation “by placing his hand on my left leg, near my knee” and inviting him. at karaoke that night. Myers said he refused.
Myers then said that Santos moved his hand up Myers’ leg “into my inner thigh” and touched his groin. Myers said he “quickly pushed” the hand away and returned to his office.
Myers said he was called into Santos’ office on January 30 and asked about his background, including his previous work as a journalist. Myers said his job offer was rescinded on Wednesday.
In an email to the Post, Myers said the job would have paid her $50,000 with benefits. “I am heartbroken,” he wrote. “I want my job back, for the people, but not under them.”
Myers surreptitiously made an audio recording of the January 30 meeting and provided a copy to Talking Points Memo, which later published it. According to the outlet, Santos sought to explain his decision not to hire Myers because of his Ohio record, saying it “isn’t about us, it’s about this institution.”
When asked if he thought his job offer was rescinded because he rejected the congressman’s sexual advances, Myers replied via email, “The timing certainly increases the possibility that the answer is ‘yes’.”
Myers added that he didn’t think the incident that happened when he was a reporter should have been taken into account. “To say that my previous debacle would be a problem is absurd given the current mix of criminals on staff,” Myers said.
Santos was elected in November, flipping a swing neighborhood in a New York suburb that helped Republicans secure a majority in the House. In December, The New York Times reported that Santos had lied about his education and work history and had an unsolved criminal charge in Brazil, where he spent time growing up.
Soon, other outlets reported other apparent fabrications Santos had made, including claims that he was the descendant of Holocaust survivors, that his mother was at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and that he had been forced to leave a prestigious preparatory school. because of his family’s financial difficulties.
Santos is also under investigation in New York and Washington. A complaint filed last month with the Federal Election Commission by a nonpartisan watchdog group accused Santos of wide-ranging campaign finance violations.
Santos admitted to what he described as resume embellishments and claimed he had lived “an honest life”.
Despite those complaints, House Republicans have served Santos on the Small Business Committee and the Science Committee. Santos said last week he was temporarily stepping back from those committees.
He told his colleagues he was taking this step because “he’s a distraction,” according to a Republican lawmaker who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.
Washington
