Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., has said his campaign donated thousands of dollars to other Republican candidates, groups, and nonprofits; but some of that money was never actually distributed, reports Politico.
Santos, who is accused of faking his resume and the circumstances of his mother's death, is being investigated by a federal prosecutor for his financial dealings. He refused calls to step down by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
On Tuesday, he admitted to being a "terrible liar" during an interview on Piers Morgan's talk show even though he claimed he wanted to be the most "transparent member of Congress."
The Politico report, citing campaign finance records, said more than $9,000 in purported donations do not match what was reported by other groups, including $2,000 that Santos' campaign reported giving in 2021 to Senate candidate Blake Masters of Arizona, $2,800 to former President Donald Trump's campaign, $1,500 to the Town of Oyster Bay Republican Club, $2,000 to the Nassau County Republican Committee's federal account, and $750 to the Queens County GOP.
"It's impossible to believe that all three of these political committees independently lost track of political donations from Santos' campaign during this period," Brendan Fischer, a campaign finance lawyer and deputy executive director at the nonprofit Documented, told Politico in reference to the 2019-2020 donations reportedly made to Trump's campaign, the Nassau County Republican Committee, and the Oyster Bay Group.
Santos' lawyer, Joe Murray, declined to comment on Politico's reporting. "It would be inappropriate to comment on an open investigation," Murray said.