The identities of two people who guaranteed George Santos’s $500,000 bail after the Republican congressman was charged with 13 counts of fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds were set to be revealed on Thursday.
Earlier this week, a federal judge in Long Island, New York, set 12pm ET as the time for the guarantors’ identities to be released.
Santos tried to stop the process, arguing disclosure could threaten the guarantors’ safety amid a “media frenzy” and “hateful attacks”.
In a court filing, Santos’s lawyer said: “Given the political temperature in this country and acts of political violence that occur, the privacy interests of these suretors are far more concerning, especially considering their ages and respective employment.”
The lawyer also said Santos had “essentially publicly revealed” that the guarantors were “family members and not lobbyists, donors or others seeking to exert influence over the defendant”.
Media organisations and the House ethics committee asked that the names be revealed.
Santos, 34, won election in New York last year, in a district covering parts of Long Island and Queens.
He has been dogged by controversy and calls to resign. His résumé has been shown to be largely made-up and past behaviour – sometimes allegedly criminal, other times bizarrely picaresque – widely reported.
Santos has admitted to embellishing his résumé but denies wrongdoing. In court in May, he pleaded not guilty to all charges.
House Republicans deflected a motion to censure Santos. Party leaders have not moved against him.
In January, Santos backed Kevin McCarthy of California through 15 votes for speaker, in the face of a rightwing rebellion. McCarthy most govern with an extremely narrow majority.
On Wednesday, Santos was among Republicans who voted to censure Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who led impeachment efforts against Donald Trump.
The motion passed. On the House floor, Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat, told Republicans: “One of my colleagues says, ‘We will hold members accountable.’ You are the party of George Santos. Who are you holding accountable?
“The guy is an alleged and acknowledged liar and indicted, and you protect him every day. Don’t lecture us with your projection and your defense of Donald Trump. It’s pathetic, and it’s beneath you and it’s beneath this body.”
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