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Republican Rep. George Santos used marketing campaign cash and donations to fund a lavish way of life, engaged in fraud, filed false election stories and ‘willfully’ violated ethics.
The bombshell findings of the long-awaited Home Ethics Committee report launched on Thursday present that the ‘Lengthy Island Liar’ stole from his marketing campaign and spent spending hundreds on purses designer items, Botox, holidays, OnlyFans, and Sephora make-up.
The committee unanimously voted to criminally refer Santos to the Justice Division for doable additional prosecution.
The panel concluded there was ‘substantial proof’ that the GOP lawmaker – who embellished nearly all of his resume – blatantly violated ethics and ‘sought to fraudulently exploit each facet of his Home candidacy for his personal private monetary revenue.’
The staggering report prompted Republican Ethics Committee Chair Michael Visitor to file a brand new movement to expel Santos, after a vote final month failed.
Santos responded by saying on Thursday morning that he wouldn’t be working once more for Congress in 2024. He tore into the ‘biased’ report and accused the Ethics Committee of going to ‘extraordinary lengths to smear myself and my authorized group.’
The bipartisan dedicated acknowledged in its report:
‘Consultant Santos sought to fraudulently exploit each facet of his Home candidacy for his personal private monetary revenue.
He blatantly stole from his marketing campaign.
He deceived donors into offering what they thought have been contributions to his marketing campaign however have been in truth funds for his private profit.’
After final month’s failed effort to expel Santos within the Home, Republican Ethics Committee Chair Michael Visitor will file a brand new decision to expel Santos. A vote on that may happen after Thanksgiving.
The report additionally states that the congressman reported pretend loans to his political committees in order that donors and social gathering committees would need to make additional donations to him.
The report didn’t give a suggestion on whether or not the Home ought to take motion to expel Santos, R-N.Y.
The report finds that Santos deceived folks into donating to RedStone Methods, which in 2022 was listed a committee devoted to supporting his candidacy, after which transferred these funds to his private account, utilizing the cash on Sephora, OnlyFans, and a $4,000 buy at Hermes.
It additionally discovered he spent marketing campaign funds on Botox remedies and lavish Atlantic Metropolis journeys along with his husband.
‘Consultant Santos continues to flout his statutory monetary disclosure obligations and has did not right numerous errors and omission,’ the committee, mentioned, regardless of being reminded to take action.
‘The ISC [investigative subcommittee] additionally discovered that, regardless of his makes an attempt guilty others for a lot of the misconduct, Consultant Santos was a understanding and lively participant within the wrongdoing. Notably troubling was Consultant Santos’ lack of candor throughout the investigation itself.’
Individually, Santos has pleaded not responsible to 23 expenses in federal court docket, together with id theft, charging his donors’ bank cards with out their approval and submitting false marketing campaign stories.
He’s not anticipated to face a trial till subsequent September.
One $1,500 and one $1,400 cost on his marketing campaign debit card, which was not submitted to the FEC, was listed as ‘Botox’ and a former Santos staffer instructed the committee the then-candidate as soon as introduced him to a Botox appointment that was close to a marketing campaign occasion.
One other $2,300 was spent at resorts in Atlantic Metropolis over July 24 and 25, 2022 and no marketing campaign function could possibly be recognized however one staffer did recall ‘Santos instructed him that he loved visiting casinos to play roulette, typically along with his husband.’
One other $3,300 Airbnb expense was reported as a ‘resort keep’ over July 7, 2022 – a weekend Santos’ calendar had him ‘off at Hampton’s for the weekend.’
The report notes one other $20,000 switch from the marketing campaign to Santos’ firm Devolder, whose account had a detrimental stability on the time. From there, cash was used to make $6,000 value of purchases at Ferragamo, withdraw $800 in money at a on line casino, withdraw one other $1,000 in money close to Santos’ residence and to pay his hire.
Earlier this month the Home voted handily towards kicking out the congressman: 213 towards Santos’ expulsion, 179 in favor and 19 voting ‘current.’
Numerous members had insinuated they needed to attend for the Ethics report earlier than voting to expel him, so extra are anticipated to alter their vote in favor of expulsion after Thursday.
‘This is the reason we referred to as for his resignation, voted for his expulsion and nonetheless consider he must be faraway from Congress,’ Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., one of many lead members on the final expulsion effort, instructed DailyMail.com in a press release.
‘I commend the Ethics Committee for his or her thorough work and belief this report will assist my colleagues come to the identical conclusion I did months in the past.’
This can be a breaking story. Please test again for updates.
