The Federal Election Commission received a formal complaint Monday urging an investigation into questions about New York Republican Rep. George Santos' campaign fundraising, loans, and spending.
The complaint, filed by the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center (CLC), alleges that Santos masked the true source of his campaign's funding and misrepresented his campaign's expenditures, even using campaign money to cover personal expenses, The Washington Post reported.
The complaint could lead to a formal investigation into Santos by the federal regulator, the Post said.
The openly gay 34-year-old freshman congressman already has been found to have lied about his heritage, education, and professional qualifications, the Post reported.
"Particularly in light of Santos's mountain of lies about his life and qualifications for office, the Commission should thoroughly investigate what appear to be equally brazen lies about how his campaign raised and spent money," the complaint argued, the Post reported.
The CLC promotes itself as a nonpartisan organization that advocates for every eligible voter to meaningfully participate in the democratic process. The group was founded by Trevor Potter, former Republican chairman of the Federal Election Commission.
The CLC called Santos' claims of earning millions over the previous two years from his company, the Devolder Organization, "vague, uncorroborated, and non-credible in light of his many previous lies."
Despite having only $55,000 in earned income during his previous run for Congress in 2020, Santos reported loaning his campaign more than $700,000 in the 2021-22 cycle, the Post reported.
The CLC complaint alleges that "unknown individuals or corporations may have illegally funneled money" to Santos's campaign through his firm as part of a scheme for the then-candidate to act as a donor to his own congressional bid.
The complaint argues that the money Santos gave to his campaign was given to him "in the guise of salary and dividends" for the purpose of making undisclosed or prohibited contributions that exceeded lawful limits.
The complaint also accuses Santos of misrepresenting his campaign's spending.
"George Santos has lied to voters about a lot of things, but while lying about your background might not be illegal, deceiving voters about your campaign's funding and spending is a serious violation of federal law," said Adav Noti, the CLC's legal director, Newsday reported.
The New York Times reported last month that Santos, who won New York's 3rd Congressional District seat in November's midterms, embellished and fabricated items on his résumé.
Santos later admitted to "embellishing" his résumé, including his education and work experience.
That mea culpa didn't end the blowback. The Republican Jewish Coalition rebuked Santos for lying to them that he was Jewish.
The Nassau County, N.Y., district attorney's office has started an investigation into Santos.
Brazilian authorities also are seeking to revive a fraud case against him dating from 2008.
The CLC complaint names Santos, his primary campaign committee, treasurer Nancy Marks and the Devolder Organization.
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