Santos Says He Won't Seek Re-Election After Spending Campaign Funds on "Fans Only" Site and Botox
The embattled Congressman, who currently faces 23 criminal charges in New York, has just been accused of a myriad of egregious and illegal acts following the release of a new Ethics Committee report.
Investigators for the US House of Representatives have released a 56-page report where they detail “substantial evidence” that Representative George Santos (R-NY) violated federal law by using campaign funds for personal purposes, defrauding donors, and filing false or incomplete campaign finance and financial disclosure reports. The House Ethics Committee has subsequently voted unanimously to refer its findings to the Department of Justice.
The report follows a more than eight month investigation into the actions of Santos to determine if he had violated House ethics rules and other laws. The ultimate determination — Santos has: “knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission; used campaign funds for personal purposes; engaged in fraudulent conduct in connection with RedStone Strategies LLC; and engaged in knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act as it relates to his financial disclosure statements filed with the House.”
The New York Republican Congressman, who represents parts of Long Island and Queens, announced today he's dropping his bid for a second term after the House ethics report was released, revealing his possible involvement with criminal activity and campaign fraud.
"I will continue on my mission to serve my constituents up until I am allowed," Santos said on X social media site, formally known as Twitter. Santos also declared that he will not be seeking re-election for a second term based on the ongoing harassment of his family by the press. Santos has yet to respond to any of the House subcommittee's allegations, but has denounced the work of investigators calling the report “biased.”
You can read his full statement here:
Rep. Santos is currently under federal indictment on 23 criminal charges, with a trial set to start in September of 2024, to which he has pleaded not guilty, continuing to deny any wrongdoing. Two Santos Campaign aides have pleaded guilty to felony charges linked to his campaign. The September trial date would have come after the June primaries for his seat, had Santos decided to seek re-election.
Santos was initially charged in May with 13 counts that included wire fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $500,000 bond. In October, 10 additional charges were added to the superseding indictment including: one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States; two counts of wire fraud; two counts of making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission; two counts of falsifying records submitted to obstruct the FEC; two counts of aggravated identity theft; and one count of access device fraud.
The subcommittee forwarded its report to the full House of Representatives today, and referred its findings to the Department of Justice for “further action as it deems appropriate.” Santos faced a vote to expel him from Congress two weeks ago, as most Republicans and 31 Democrats opted to withhold punishment while both his criminal trial and a House Ethics Committee investigation proceeded.
Considering the recent findings that include criminal activity by the ethics committee investigating Santos, it is not clear if he could survive another vote to oust him now. Santos would be the first member of Congress expelled since 2002 and the first Republican ever expelled from the House. Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS), the Chair of the Ethics Committee, plans to file a privileged resolution to expel George Santos at the House's pro forma session tomorrow, according to two lawmakers familiar with the plans.
If that vote to expel fails, Santos can expect another round after the Thanksgiving recess. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), who previously led the charge on a vote to oust Santos in May, issued a statement today saying he will "once again be submitting a privileged resolution to expel this liar and fraud when we return to session on November 28th."
The House report issued today, alleges that George Santos reported hundreds of thousands of dollars in fictitious loans to his campaign and then repaid himself with real money. A company called RedStone Strategies is named as a campaign foil for Santos to raise money without being limited by campaign contribution caps.
Investigators claim that Rep. Santos transferred at least $200,000 to himself from RedStone through numerous transactions in 2022, some of which was used to pay off personal credit cards and make purchases at Hermes, Sephora and OnlyFans, a website known for its adult content.
The report also reveals that Santos submitted numerous expenditures that did not appear to have a campaign purpose, including travel and hotel stays in Las Vegas that corresponded with his self-reported honeymoon dates. There were also at least two suspect payments that were described as being for Botox.
In addition to the impending expulsion vote in the House and the 23 criminal charges he faces in September, the investigative work done by the ethics committee has been forwarded to the Department of Justice following a unanimous committee vote. According the the House Ethics Committee Mr. Santos’s conduct “warrants public condemnation, is beneath the dignity of the office, and has brought severe discredit upon the House.” It may warrant more criminal charges as well.
Amee Vanderpool writes the SHERO Newsletter, is an attorney, published author, contributor to newspapers and magazines, and an analyst for BBC radio. She can be reached at avanderpool@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @girlsreallyrule.
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remember the days when these goons would resign when they got busted?
Botox did not help him cover his criming.