U.S. Rep Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) is introducing a bill that prevents members of Congress from profiting off of media appearances and book deals if convicted of a crime. This proposal apparently stems from the actions of his Long Island colleague Rep. George Santos and the scandals surrounding his ascent to office.
Santos’ short tenure in Congress has been plagued by allegations that he lied about his background in order to get elected. The idea of this bill, called the “No Fortune for Fraud Act”, is to prevent any lawmaker convicted of wrongdoing from profiting off of their name and likeness once they leave Congress.
“The aim of this legislative package is to penalize elected officials who breached the public’s trust. I have been in ongoing conversations with several fellow New York members of Congress as this legislation advances through the lawmaking process, and I look forward to formally introducing it soon,” said D’Esposito in a statement. “If Representative Santos has issues with good government measures such as this then that is his prerogative, or perhaps the sign of a guilty conscience.”
In Santos’ home district, Nassau County Legislator Josh Lafazan said he would support any attempts to remove Santos from office. He said the losers of this scandal are the voters in New York’s 3rd congressional district because they don’t have representation in Congress.
“It’s sad that we need this type of legislation, but I absolutely do support it,” Lafazan said.
While no charges have been levied against Santos yet, he is under investigation for failing to properly disclose his finances. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for Santos’ resignation, including two more New York House Republicans, Mark Molinaro and Nick LaLota.
Angel Rivas, a DACA recipient and organizer with Make the Road New York, said the bill is forward-thinking, if federal, state or local prosecutors indict Santos with formal charges. “I think any steps that could be taken to just block him, now that he’s not going to step down, I think that’s the best thing we can do,” Rivas said.
Joe Sackman of the New York Progressive Action Network said he feels it's unlikely that this proposal would be adopted in the GOP-led House. “I don’t think it's going to ever really reach the floor. I think this is more of D’Esposito trying to distance himself from Santos,” said Sackman.
Lafazan said it should not be a political issue, it's a governance issue.
“If you have betrayed the public’s trust, if you have duped the voters of which you serve, if you have made a mockery of the very building in which you were elected to represent the people, then absolutely you should be barred from profiting off of that experience,” Lafazan said.
