House Ethics Committee Report: George Santos Accused of Misusing Campaign Funds
House Ethics Committee: New report confirms misuse of campaign funds by GOP Rep George Santos, providing substantial evidence of personal expenses Findings expose potential breach of ethical conduct
The House Ethics Committee published its highly anticipated report on the inquiry into GOP Representative George Santos on Thursday. The committee's findings suggest that there is significant evidence indicating that the congressman misused campaign funds for personal use. According to the report, Santos knowingly and willingly violated financial disclosure regulations when submitting statements to the House, and also caused his campaign committee to file inaccurate or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission.
Rep. George Santos of New York, a member of the Republican Party, is seen arriving at the Capitol in Washington, where House Republicans are conducting a closed-door meeting. During the meeting, they are casting secret ballots to select their candidate for the position of speaker of the House. This important decision-making process is taking place on Wednesday, October 11, 2023.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Read: House Ethics Committee report on Rep. George Santos
The committee released a statement stating that they unanimously approved the report. They discovered more instances of illicit behavior by Santos that were not included in the current criminal accusations against him. These new allegations will be promptly referred to the Justice Department for a thorough investigation. The committee ultimately concluded that Santos had attempted to deceitfully capitalize on every aspect of his House campaign for his own personal financial gain.
The congressman's behavior has been deemed deserving of "public condemnation," as it goes against the dignity of the office and has greatly tarnished the reputation of the House. Santos chose not to participate in a voluntary interview or provide a written response to the allegations raised by the Ethics panel.
However, the committee opted not to issue a subpoena to Santos due to his probable invocation of his Fifth Amendment right and the limited evidentiary value of his testimony, given his acknowledged tendency to exaggerate. Additionally, the panel noted that Santos failed to fully cooperate with the investigation.
The release of the report deals yet another blow to the New York Republican, who is currently facing 23 federal charges including allegations of fraud, misusing campaign funds, and lying about his personal finances on House disclosure reports in relation to Covid-19 unemployment benefits. Despite the mounting legal issues, Santos maintains a defiant stance. This is a developing story and will be continually updated.
