The findings of the House Ethics Committee’s investigation of troubled American politician George Santos have caused quite a stir in political and media circles. According to the committee’s extensive report, which was released on Thursday, there is credible evidence that the Republican inappropriately used campaign funds for various personal expenditures, engaged in fraudulent activities, and provided misleading information to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
The 35-year-old Republican congressman from New York refuted the charges while declaring his intention not to run for reelection. George Santos, who fraudulently claimed to be Jewish and to have worked for Goldman Sachs, among other things, has been charged with campaign donor theft, credit card fraud, and identity theft. A bipartisan report from the House Ethics Committee, which has been investigating Santos since February, found that he “blatantly stole from his campaign.”
“Representative Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit,” the report said.
“He deceived donors into providing what they thought were contributions to his campaign but were in fact payments for his personal benefit.”
“Representative Santos’ conduct warrants public condemnation, is beneath the dignity of the office, and has brought severe discredit upon the House,” the committee said.
The 56-page report claimed he used campaign cash to pay for Botox
According to The Financial Times, the 56-page report by the MPs who pushed the investigation detailed other outlandish expenditures, including his use of campaign cash to pay for Botox. A limited liability firm related to Santos’ campaign also sent tens of thousands of dollars to the congressman’s personal accounts, with cash used to make purchases at Hermès, Sephora, and OnlyFans, an internet platform used by sex workers, according to the committee.
Santos was also accused of misrepresenting his funds in disclosure forms as a congressional candidate, including claiming bogus bank accounts, real estate interests, and a car loan for a Maserati that he did not appear to own.