'Voters deserve the truth': George Santos accused of campaign finance violations in FEC complaint

09 January 2023

Freshman United States Congressman George Santos (R-New York) is kicking off his first week in the House of Representatives facing an ethics complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission by the Campaign Legal Center.

Santos – whose upset victory over Democratic incumbent Tom Suozzi in the November 2022 midterms was followed by blockbuster revelations that nearly every aspect of his life is a lie – is accused of "illegally using campaign funds for personal expenses, including for an apartment rental, and for submitting false information about both the source of his campaign donations and his campaign's expenses," CBS News reported on Monday after completing a review of court documents.

The non-profit CLC "questioned how Santos was able to make a sizeable donation to his own campaign in the months before he won a competitive House race on Long Island," CBS learned, noting that "the complaint alleged Santos 'purported to loan his campaign $705,000 during the 2022 election. But it is far from clear how he could have done so with his own funds, because financial disclosure reports indicate that Santos had only $55,000 to his name in 2020.'"

CLC's filing also alleged that "the concealed true source behind $705,000 in contributions to Santos's campaign could be a corporation or foreign national — both of which are categorically barred from contributing to federal candidates," as quoted by CBS.

CLC further suspected that Santos' campaign may have engaged in violations of campaign finance laws. In some instances, Santos is believed to have spent campaign funds on personal excursions.

"The campaign reported an astounding 40 disbursements between $199 and $200, including 37 disbursements of exactly $199.99. The sheer number of these just-under-$200 disbursements is implausible, and some payments appear to be impossible given the nature of the item or service covered," CLC wrote in its complaint.

"The Santos campaign reported making a $199.99 disbursement to the W Hotel South Beach of Miami, Florida on October 13, 2021, for 'Hotel Stay,' but the least expensive room available for a midweek stay in October — a one-night, one-room stay for one adult — is priced at more than $700.26," CLC's complaint continued.

CLC Senior Vice President and Legal Director Adav Noti blasted Santos and his behavior.

"Voters deserve the truth. They have a right to know who is spending to influence their vote and their government and they have a right to know how the candidates competing for their vote are spending those funds," Noti said in a statement, according to CBS. "George Santos has lied to voters about a lot of things, but while lying about your background might not be illegal, deceiving voters about your campaign's funding and spending is a serious violation of federal law."

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