The House Ethics Committee has found “substantial evidence” that Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., violated federal criminal laws, according to a damning report the committee released Thursday morning.
Santos, the report said, “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit,” including using campaign funds for personal use, deceiving donors who thought they were contributing to his campaign, and reporting “fictitious loans” to his political committees to “induce” additional contributions.
“And he sustained all of this through a constant series of lies to his constituents, donors, and staff about his background and experience,” the report stated.
The Republican-led committee said it unanimously voted to refer the evidence to the Justice Department, noting that it includes alleged violations beyond what Santos has already been charged with. The panel did not make a recommendation to the House.
The committee lamented Santos’ “lack of candor during the investigation,” and said he blamed others even though he was “a knowing and active participant in the wrongdoing.”
The full, 56-page report put together by the committee’s investigative subcommittee laid out the breadth of Santos’ alleged misconduct, calling it “unprecedented in many respects.” The scope of the alleged violations, it added, is “highly unusual and damning. Worst of all, the committee wrote, Santos’ “fraud on the electorate is ongoing — he continues to propound falsehoods and misrepresentations rather than take responsibility for his actions.”
Santos, who has so far resisted calls for his resignation, tweeted shortly after the report’s release that he will not seek re-election in 2024. He called the report a “grave miscarriage of Justice” but said he would continue to serve his constituents “up until I am allowed.”
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