Rep. George Santos charged by Justice Department in the federal probe
Breaking news from Brownstone Worldwide News: The Justice Department has filed criminal charges against New York Representative George Santos, a Republican lawmaker, following an investigation into his alleged pattern of lies and fabrications. Three sources have confirmed the charges against Santos, who is expected to appear in federal court in New York’s Eastern District after being taken into custody on Wednesday morning.
Santos is facing a total of 13 federal charges, including seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. The congressman’s attorney has declined to comment, and the spokespersons for the Brooklyn US Attorney’s Office, the Justice Department, and the FBI have also declined to comment on the matter.
According to a source familiar with the situation, Santos was en route back to New York on Tuesday night, skipping House votes for the evening. When reporters approached his spokeswoman, Naysa Woomer, for comment on the federal charges against him, she did not respond to their questions and abruptly left the congressman’s DC office with her backpack. CNN witnessed three of Santos’ staffers also leaving the office with their bags, who refused to comment when questioned.
Santos, who was elected last year to represent a district including parts of Long Island and Queens, has been under investigation in multiple jurisdictions and by the House Ethics Committee. Top Democrats, along with some New York Republicans, have been calling for his resignation over allegations ranging from criminal behavior during his campaign to petty personal dishonesty stretching back over a decade.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said he will review the charges before determining whether he thinks Santos should be removed from Congress. The California Republican told CNN on Tuesday that he will look into the charges against Santos. Santos was spotted by CNN in the Capitol earlier in the day, on his way in and out of McCarthy’s office. The speaker stated that he did not know why Santos had been there and that the congressman had not informed him personally about the charges.
Santos has been accused of breaking campaign finance laws, violating federal conflict of interest laws, stealing cash meant for an Iraq War veteran’s dying dog, masterminding a credit card fraud scheme, and lying about his education and employment history. While he has admitted to making some misleading claims about his education and financial status, he has denied the more serious allegations.
During his campaign last year, Santos followed the Republican midterm playbook by emphasizing crime and inflation while attacking his Democratic opponent. This message resonated with voters in the New York suburbs, and GOP candidates flipped four seats on their way to winning a narrow House majority. However, as Santos’ past came under closer scrutiny, with significant portions of his official biography revealed to be fabricated, he increasingly adopted the persona of a right-wing troll, playing up his support for former President Donald Trump and even claiming that Democrats were “trying to ban toilet paper.”
