April 2, 2024
Disgraced Congressman George Santos will run for Congress again, this time as an independent.
If Rep. Gina Sillitti, a congresswoman from Port Washington, has anything to say about it, New York state law will require Santos and other applicants to swear that the general data they provide to the electorate is true.
Sillitti recently filed A. 5358 in the state Assembly to amend the state’s election law to require applicants to attest to the general biographical data they share with voters, adding certain work history, service records, educational attainments they brag about, and military service records.
“Requiring applicants to testify to critical biographical data will allow for the immediate identification of applicants who mislead the public or who are unqualified for the position they hold based on residency requirements,” Sillitti wrote in his legislative justification. “Mendacity or unqualified candidate will be that only eligible applicants appear on our ballots and that the public will have a genuine selection when it goes to the polls. “
Sillitti proposes to give applicants 15 days to register the data with their local electoral council, which would then have five days to upload the leaked data to its website. Failure to disclose them would result in a civil penalty of $1,000, plus an additional $25 depending on the day. per day the disclosure is not recorded. The maximum total amount would be $2,000, with fines paid through the candidate and not from a cross-account.
The local election board would also be required to state on its website if a candidate has not filed his or her statement so that the public knows that the candidate’s background has not been disclosed. The declarations shall be signed, notarized and submitted under penalty of perjury by the candidate. In addition, Sillitti’s bill would require that if further statements are made through the candidate during the course of his crusade, the amended returns be filed at the time of filing the next crusade financial statement.
“This bill balances the public’s need for truthful information about applicants, while ensuring that disclosure does not act as a deterrent,” Sillitti wrote. “Democracy works most productively when other people from diverse backgrounds and backgrounds come together, and this bill balances the one wants by restricting the type of data disclosed. This certification will help deter instances of lying by a candidate and give the public a way to determine what applicants are claiming. Unfortunately, we are forced to legislate on veracity. Due to the diversity of applicants, the electorate rarely finds itself without representation in government and ends up wasting religion on the electoral system. It is imperative in New York State that applicants for public office be truthful in the statements they make to the electorate, which the electorate can accept as true. with the data shared through the applicants, and that there is a way for the public to determine that data.
Santos announced earlier this month that he will challenge Republican Rep. Nick LaLota for the GOP’s No. 1 spot in a district on East Long Island that is different from the one he represented before his expulsion. Among those vying to be the Democratic nominee for that seat is former CNN anchor John Avlon.
In December, Santos was only the sixth member in history to be expelled by his House colleagues, following a critical report by the House Ethics Committee that cited “overwhelming evidence” of Santos’ violation of the law.
Santos has pleaded not guilty to the following charges: mendacity to Congress over his wealth, receiving unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve, and his campaign contributions to pay for non-public expenses such as designer clothes. by September, after the primaries.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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