REUTERS/Amr Alfiky
Since his May 10 indictment, Rep. George Santos (R-NY) has brought in a surprising amount of money—about $133,000, according to his new campaign finance report—but what’s more interesting than Santos just raising money is who’s been donating to him and why.
The short answer? It may have something to do with Guo Wengui, the self-proclaimed billionaire who defected from China and is now an enthusiastic supporter of American right-wing causes.
The vast majority of Santos’ fundraising haul—a total of $101,861—rolled in over the course of just three days, between May 20 and May 22. All of those donors had Chinese surnames, almost all of them contributed the maximum allowable amount of $3,300, and 26 of them had never given to Santos previously, according to Federal Election Commission data. For 14 of those donors, it was their first political contribution ever.