Elina Tarkazikis
House Ethics panel launches probe into GOP's George Santos
The panel wants to determine whether Santos "engaged in unlawful activity with respect to his 2022 congressional campaign" among other actions.
LEARN MOREPosted: 2:50 p.m. EDT Apr 18, 2023
Embattled U.S. Rep. George Santos, whose lies about his life and career helped propel him into office, has named a vaccine bill after rapper Nicki Minaj, reports say.
The Minaj Act is meant to establish "a development period for new vaccines in order to generate public confidence," according to Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba, who posted the news on Twitter.
Ahem.
— Kadia Goba (@kadiagoba) April 17, 2023
Rep. George Santos just dropped seven bills in the hopper. Among them, The Minaj Act, named for — yes, you guessed it — rapper Nikki Minaj that establishes a development period for new vaccines in order to generate public confidence.
While there is no official statement of the news on Santos' website, he seemed to confirm its validity when he retweeted an account endorsing him for naming a bill after the rapper.
Minaj has been outspoken in the past about her COVID-19 vaccine skepticism, so it makes sense that Santos would name a bill proposing a vaccination grace period after her.
On Sept. 13, 2021, Minaj commented on the vaccination requirement for the Met Gala happening that day, tweeting, "They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. if I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research."
They want you to get vaccinated for the Met. if I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now. In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one 🙏♥️
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 13, 2021
Less than a half hour after tweeting that, Minaj doubled down on her stance. She told the unverified story of her cousin's friend in Trinidad who she claims became impotent and suffered swollen testicles after getting the vaccine. "Just pray on it [and] make sure you’re comfortable with [your] decision, not bullied," she tweeted.
My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 13, 2021
After her series of tweets, the White House reportedly offered Minaj the opportunity to speak with the Biden administration's doctors to address any vaccine questions and concerns.
As news of the new Minaj Act comes to surface, Santos has also formally announced his intention to run for reelection in 2024 as representative for New York's third congressional district.
"I was elected to fulfill my campaign promises of securing our border, lowering the high cost of living, solving the disastrous SALT issue in our tax code, and fighting the Hochul crime crisis of policies empowering criminals to terrorize the people of New York," Santos said in a statement. "I've been in office for 100 days, and through legislation and my votes, I've already made significant efforts to honor those promises."
Santos' choice to run for reelection comes after a series of scandals and calls for his resignation.
The Republican has been battling accusations of false claims he's made about his work experience and education, his mother's death, and even questionable campaign transactions.
Santos has admitted to some of the lies, claiming he was not truthful about his work history and schooling.
"My sins here are embellishing my resume. I'm sorry," he had said an interview with the New York Post.
Last month, a House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into the Republican congressman.
