Bronx Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres is urging the House Ethics Committee to launch a probe into Rep.-elect George Santos.

“The breadth and depth of Mr. Santos’ deception is simply staggering,” Torres said in a letter he sent Thursday to the House panel. The fabrications, he wrote, underscore “a pathological propensity for lying that cries out for closer scrutiny from the House Ethics Committee.”

NY1 was the first to obtain a copy of the letter.

Santos, a Republican who won November’s contest to fill New York’s open 3rd congressional seat, has come under fire after a New York Times investigation raised questions about his resume and finances. 

Since the report, Santos has admitted to making up aspects of the biography he shared during his campaign - from his family heritage to his educational background and work history.

In particular, Torres wants the committee to look into Santos’ finances and the source of his income.

In 2020, Santos reported a salary of $55,000. By 2022, Santos’ Federal Election Commission filings show he loaned more than $700,000 to his campaign, nearly as much as his salary from the Devolder Organization, a consulting firm.

“Even if one stipulates Mr. Santos lawfully earned $750,000 in 2022, how could it possibly be the case that he legitimately lent his own campaign 94% of his salary?” Torres writes. “The lack of clarity surrounding the ultimate source of his money is cause for suspicion.” 

In the letter, Torres also raised questions about whether Santos is properly disclosing information about the clients he works with through the Devolder Organization.

Already, the New York Attorney General said her team would review Santos’ claims. And a spokesperson for the Republican district attorney in Nassau County said her office is “looking into the matter.”

Federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District are also reportedly investigating him. 

While Republican leadership on Capitol Hill - including North Country Rep. Elise Stefanik - has largely remained silent about Santos, some lower-ranking and incoming Republicans have started to raise concerns about the congressman-elect’s claims. 

That includes Santos’s fellow congressman-elect Nick LaLota, who said Tuesday that "a full investigation by the House Ethics Committee and, if necessary, law enforcement, is required." LaLota’s Long Island district neighbors Santos’.

A member of the House Ethics panel staff declined to comment.

Congress is about to change hands, with Republicans poised to take over control of the House starting next month. The Ethics Committee’s makeup, though, will remain evenly split between Republicans and Democrats.

NY1 has reached out to Santos' team for comment about the letter.