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- A prospective staffer has alleged that Rep. George Santos sexually harassed him and touched his groin.
- Myers also claims that he was made to work as an unpaid volunteer despite being promised employment.
- Santos said on Thursday that Myers was let go because he is facing wiretapping charges in Ohio.
A man who briefly worked in Rep. George Santos' office has accused him of sexual harassment and violations of ethics rules.
Derek Myers said that he was offered to work in the congressman's DC office in January, which he did until the job offer was rescinded this week.
In a letter to the House Committee on Ethics, a copy of which he shared on Twitter, Myers described an incident that took place in Santos' office on January 25, in which he claims the congressman sexually harassed him.
Myers' account could not be corroborated, but the letter had been received by the office of Representative Susan Wild, ranking member of the House Ethics Committee, her spokesperson confirmed, reported The New York Times.
—Derek Myers (@DerekMyers) February 3, 2023
Myers said that Santos, a Republican representing New York's Third Congressional District in Long Island, asked him if he had a profile on Grindr, the popular LGBTQ dating app, and revealed that he had one himself.
He said that later in the day he was reviewing mail with Santos in his personal office when the congressman insisted he sit next to him on a small sofa.
Myers claimed that Santos put a hand on his leg and invited him to go to karaoke that night, an invitation which Myers said he declined.
"The Congressman proceeded to take his hand and move it down my leg into my inner thigh and proceeded to touch my groin," Myers said.
"He proceeded to look at me and say, "My husband is out of town tonight if you want to come over" and went on to tell me where the Congressman lived."
Myers said that he pushed Santos' hand away and changed the topic of conversation and shortly returned to his desk.
He said that on February 1, he was informed that his job offer was rescinded.
Along with the sexual harassment complaint, Myers also claims that he was made to perform staff duties in the congressman's office as an unpaid volunteer while he waited for his paperwork to be processed.
He claims that despite having been promised employment and compensation, he was released from the role and not given any compensation.
Myers said on Twitter that he had filed a police report with Capitol Police along with a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics.
Myers recently grabbed headlines after he leaked an audio recording he secretly made of the congressman on January 30, which was published by Talking Points Memo.
In the audio, Santos can be heard saying: "I've obviously fucked up and lied to him, like I lied to everyone else."
Santos told Semafor on Thursday that his office had been in the process of hiring Myers but paused when they discovered he was charged with wiretapping in Ohio last year after publishing recorded court testimony. The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for the charges to be dropped.
In the letter published on Twitter, Myers claimed that in the days before the job offer was rescinded, he was questioned about his background as a journalist and other matters that he said "had already been disclosed" to hiring managers.
Myers said: "They are serious offenses, and the evidence and facts will speak for themselves if the committee takes up the matter."
Insider reached out to Santos' office for comment.