NEW YORK – President-elect George Santos, RN.Y., is facing many questions: He has been accused of falsifying his resume and the circumstances of his mother’s death along with questionable campaign finance reporting and allegations of a campaign pilfer fundraising. for a dying dog, among other things.
He admitted to embellishing his educational background and employment history, but denied most of the other allegations, even when he was installed in his new House job this month.
The allegations prompted multiple demands for his resignation, as well as at least two investigations and calls for additional investigators. Santos, 34, has repeatedly said he will not quit. Here is a summary of the investigations and reviews.
State investigations
Santos’ district includes part of northern Nassau County, NY, on Long Island, as well as part of Queens, the eastern borough of New York City. Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly, a Republican, announced that her office would investigate Santos after he publicly admitted that his resume had been embellished.
“The many fabrications and inconsistencies surrounding Congressman-Elect Santos are nothing short of stunning. The residents of Nassau County and other parts of the Third District (Congressional) need an honest and accountable representative in Congress,” a Donnelly said in a released statement. at her office in late December.
“No one is above the law and if a crime is committed in this county, we will prosecute it,” Donnelly concluded.
Her office did not provide any details about the investigation, leaving it unclear which potential crimes could be reviewed.
The office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James said in late December that it was “looking into some issues” related to Santos. However, the announcement did not confirm a formal investigation.
Federal investigation
The US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, headquartered in Brooklyn, includes Santos’ congressional district. An investigation by US Attorney Breon Peace, the top prosecutor for the Eastern District, is focused in part on Santos’ financial dealings, according to reports from the New York Times, CNN and other news organizations.
A spokesperson for Peace did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Questions about Santos’ financial dealings have included the sources of funding for his 2022 campaign, as well as a sharp increase in his reported earnings between his unsuccessful 2020 congressional campaign and a 2022 victory.
►USA TODAY investigates:George Santos’ college education is a myth. Is he the only one lying? We checked
►Concerns about Santos campaign filing:Rep. George Santos’ finances are raising questions. This is what public records show.
►Complaint about GoFundMe effort:Rep. George Santos is pushing back against a ‘crazy’ claim that he stole money for a dog that has since been dying
Calls for campaign finance investigations
Several organizations and elected officials have called on the Federal Elections Commission to investigate Santos’ campaign financing and spending. The Campaign Law Center, a nonpartisan advocate for voters, went further by filing a complaint with the FEC. The organization also sent the complaint to the public integrity division of the US Department of Justice.
The complaint alleges that Santos:
- He denied the true sources of his 2022 congressional campaign funding, including the “unexplained and highly suspicious source of $705,000 that Santos purported to loan his campaign.” Unknown companies and individuals could illegally fund the campaign through a limited liability company he created, the CLC said.
- False reports on his 2022 campaign spending. In total, Santos reported 40 disbursements between $199 and $200. And 37 of the expenses were for $199.99, one penny below the FEC threshold for claiming receipts, invoices or canceled checks.
- Illegally used campaign funds for personal expenses, including a residence for Santos.
The FEC and the Department of Justice have not commented on the CLC complaint.
Separately, representatives Ritchie Torres and Daniel Goldman, both Democratic House members from New York, asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate Santos.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., whose slim, four-seat majority can afford to lose GOP members, has largely avoided the controversy. As McCarthy’s turn as speaker began, his fellow Republican in the chamber nominated Santos to two House committees.
Resurgence of criminal allegations in Brazil
Law enforcement authorities in Brazil, where Santos’ parents were born, plan to reopen an investigation into Santos’ alleged use of a stolen checkbook in 2008, the New York Times reported.
Allegedly using a false name, he used the checkbook for nearly $700 to spend at a store outside Rio de Janeiro, the Times reported.
The investigation went dormant because the Brazilian authorities were unable to locate Santos. Now, officials plan to ask the US Department of Justice to notify Santos of the charges, a move that would allow the case to move forward.
“I am not a criminal here — not here or in Brazil or in any jurisdiction in the world,” Santos told the New York Post in December before the revival of the Times’ report on the Brazilian situation.
