Republican Rep. George Santos of New York is facing a barrage of ethics complaint as he takes office.
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Santos was sworn into office on Friday despite a record of alleged fraud and lies about his background.
Now, End Citizens United is filing complaints against Santos with the FEC, OCE, and DOJ.
Santos faces a slew of other campaign finance-related complaints and is under investigation in 2 countries.
Left-leaning advocacy group End Citizens United is set to file three complaints against Republican Rep. George Santos of New York on Monday for alleged campaign finance violations, adding to a barrage of other complaints and investigations targeting the new congressman.
Santos, who was recently revealed to have lied about much of his resume and background, was sworn into Congress on Friday. Even fellow Republicans have called for an ethics investigation into the first-term lawmaker.
“Congressman Santos has shown a blatant disregard for the law and has flagrantly brushed aside the transparency voters deserve from their elected officials,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller in a statement to Insider. “His actions are not only unethical, but illegal, and call into question his ability to serve. The FEC, the DOJ, and the OCE should immediately begin investigations and hold him accountable for his shady and unlawful actions.”
The group’s complaint with the Department of Justice argues that Santos violated the Ethics in Government Act by not only filing a required financial disclosure almost a year late, but likely making several omissions related to various purported assets he holds.
The complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics — the principle investigative body that oversees ethics violations for members of the House — argues that the Republican congressman violated federal law by soliciting campaign contributions in exchange for attending a swearing-in event on Capitol grounds. Last month, Santos’ team advertised round-trip bus tickets from New York to Washington, a luncheon, attendance at Santos’ swearing-in ceremony, and a tour of the Capitol in exchange for at least a $100 donation. Federal law prevents the use of official resources in connection with campaign activity.
—Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) December 29, 2022
And the group’s complaint with the Federal Election Commission focuses on a purported $700,000 personal loan that he made to his campaign that the group says either came from a “shell company” or was a prohibited corporate contribution.
It also argues that nearly 40 payments of $199.99 made by his campaign represented an effort to skirt federal laws that require campaigns to keep receipts of purchases for $200 or more.
Insider has reached out to Santos’ newly-formed congressional office and will update this story with any response.
The trio of complaints add to a barrage of other complaints the congressman is already facing. On Monday alone, American Bridge also filed a complaint with OCE arguing that Santos had falsified his financial disclosures, while the Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint with the FEC similar to the one filed by End Citizens United.
Santos’ history and finances are also under investigation by prosecutors at the federal level, in New York state, and in Brazil.