The Justice Department has told the Federal Election Commission to delay any executive action against Rep. George Santos (RNY), in the clearest signal from the DOJ that it is conducting its own criminal investigation into Santos’ campaign finances, it said. Washington Post Friday.
The Justice Department also asked the FEC to provide all documents relevant to an investigation, sources told the Post.
Santos launched a multitude of lies about his heritage, family, education and work experience. He ignored calls for his resignation and claimed he was just “polishing” his resume.
Changes this week to his campaign finance forms also indicated that a $700,000 donation identified as a personal loan did not come from Santos. That leaves a significant mystery about the source of the funds.
Santos’ election committee told federal regulators on Wednesday that it had hired a new treasurer, but the man it appointed said he did not accept the job.
Santos said he was making $55,000 a year before launching the Devolder Organization in 2021. Funding for the mysterious company — which had no website and was dissolved shortly after it started — is unclear. But Santos said he raised his salary to $750,000 (with dividends of up to $10 million).
In a separate investigation, the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday conducted interviews about Santos’ role at investment firm Harbor City Capital, which closed in 2021 after the SEC accused it of operating a “classic Ponzi scheme.” Post said.
FEC investigators will likely honor the Justice Department’s request and step back from their civil investigations to allow the DOJ to conduct a criminal investigation, the Post reported.
The Justice Department’s call to withdraw “indicates that a criminal investigation is ongoing,” campaign finance attorney Brett Kappel told the Post.
David Mason, a former FEC commissioner, told the paper: “They don’t want two sets of investigators tripping over each other. And they don’t want anything from the FEC, which is a civilian agency, to complicate their prosecution.”
Check out the full Washington Post story here.
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