The Department of Justice asked the Federal Election Commission to stand down and wait to enforce action against Rep. George Santos (R-NY) while prosecutors conduct a similar criminal investigation.
Santos, who was elected to Congress in November after flipping New York’s 3rd Congressional District, is under extreme scrutiny and several federal investigations related to lying about his biography, including his educational background, work experience, and finances.
MCCARTHY SAYS SANTOS WILL BE REMOVED FROM CONGRESS IF INVESTIGATION FINDS HE BROKE LAW
Two people familiar with the Justice Department’s probe told the Washington Post that the Justice Department asked the FEC to provide them with any relevant documents that can be used for the investigation.
The DOJ has not announced a criminal investigation into Santos, though Friday’s report is the clearest sign the embattled congressman might be facing more severe penalties than sanctions in Congress.
The request, which came from the department’s Public Integrity Section, “indicates that there’s an active criminal investigation” that overlaps with complaints filed with the FEC, Brett Kappel, a campaign finance lawyer at D.C.-based Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, told the Washington Post.
Santos is facing investigations from a variety of federal and state entities. He is under an ethics investigations into his finances after Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Ritchie Torres (D-NY) filed a complaint to the House Ethics Committee in early January. They requested the committee look into his campaign’s financial disclosure reports.
Most recently, New York Reps. Joseph Morelle and Gregory Meeks wrote a joint letter to Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) focusing on Santos’s alleged campaign donations from sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. The representatives called on the speaker to prevent Santos from accessing classified Congressional information pertaining to national security.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has also interviewed people regarding Santos’s role in Harbor City Capital, an investment firm accused by the SEC of being a “classic Ponzi scheme.”
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If found in violation of campaign finance laws, both McCarthy and Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said Santos will be removed from Congress.
However, Republican leaders, such as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) have stated that, while Santos will undergo investigation, he should not be “shunned” by fellow Congressional leaders.
