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Newly elected Republican Representative from New York George Santos attends the US House of Representatives voting for caller talker astatine the US Capitol successful Washington, DC, January 4, 2023.
Olivier Douliery | AFP | Getty Images
A nationalist watchdog radical has filed a ailment with the Federal Election Commission against Republican Congressman George Santos for allegedly violating galore run concern laws during his palmy tally for Congress.
The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan run watchdog organization, filed the complaint to the FEC connected Monday. The radical accuses the Santos run of allegedly violating 3 counts of run concern laws, including 1 tied to a $705,000 indebtedness the lawmaker made to his campaign.
"It is acold much likely, instead, that aft failing to triumph his 2020 bid for Congress, Santos and different chartless persons worked retired a strategy to surreptitiously — and illegally — funnel wealth into his 2022 campaign," the ailment reads. "The concealed existent root down $705,000 successful contributions to Santos's run could beryllium a corp oregon overseas nationalist — some of which are categorically barred from contributing to national candidates."
The FEC didn't instantly instrumentality a petition for comment. A Santos spokeswoman referred CNBC to the congressman's attorneys. A Santos lawyer did not instrumentality a petition for comment.
Santos is nether scrutiny by legislature lawmakers and national authorities for lying and embellishing cardinal elements of his resume during his 2022 run for Congress. Prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York are examining Santos' finances, including imaginable irregularities involving fiscal disclosures and loans Santos made to his run portion helium was moving for Congress, according to NBC News.
Santos has admitted successful an interrogation with City and State that helium embellished his resume. While he's apologized to anyone "disappointed by resume embellishments," helium vehemently denies committing immoderate crimes.
The Campaign Legal Center claims that the indebtedness helium made to his run whitethorn person travel from a straw donor. Santos' latest fiscal disclosure says helium made $750,000 from 2021 done 2022 from his company, the Devolder Organization. Santos told WABC vigor big John Catsimatidis, who besides donated to Santos, that the indebtedness came from "money I paid myself done the Devolder Organization."
The watchdog accuses Santos of perchance concealing the existent root of the wealth that his run labeled arsenic a loan.
The radical besides accuses Santos' run of falsifying its reported disbursements and utilizing run funds to wage for idiosyncratic expenses.
"George Santos has lied to voters astir a batch of things, but portion lying astir your inheritance mightiness not beryllium illegal, deceiving voters astir your campaign's backing and spending is simply a superior usurpation of national law," Adav Noti, the ineligible manager astatine the Campaign Legal Center, said successful a statement. "That is what we are asking the Federal Election Commission to investigate. As the bureau liable for enforcing America's run concern laws, the FEC owes it to the nationalist to find retired the information astir however George Santos raised and spent the wealth helium utilized to tally for nationalist office, and to guarantee accountability for Santos's amerciable conduct."
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