The Justice Department has told the Federal Election Commission not to take enforcement action against Rep. George Santos (RN.Y.) in the clearest signal the DOJ is conducting its own criminal investigation into Santos’ campaign finances, The Washington Post reported on Friday.
The Justice Department also asked the FEC to provide documents relevant to the investigation, sources told the Post.
Santos has told many lies about his heritage, family, education and work experience. He ignored requests to resign and said he was just “embellishing” his résumé.
Changes this week to campaign finance forms also revealed that a $700,000 donation that had been identified as his own personal loan did not come from Santos. That leaves a significant mystery about the source of the funds.
Santos’ campaign committee told the Federal regulator that a new treasurer had been hired, but the person named said he had not received the job.
Santos said he made $55,000 a year before launching the Devolder Organization in 2021. Funding for the mysterious company — which had no website and was dissolved shortly after it started — is murky. But Santos said he earned up to $750,000 in salary (up to $10 million in dividends).
In a separate investigation, the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday conducted interviews about Santos’ role at the investment firm Harbor City Capital, which was closed in 2021 after the SEC accused him of operating a “classic Ponzi scheme,” the Post reported.
FEC investigators are likely to honor the Justice Department’s request and step back from the civil investigation in order for the DOJ to conduct a criminal investigation, the Post reported.
The DOJ back-off request “indicates there is an active criminal investigation,” campaign finance attorney Brett Kappel told the Post.
David Mason, a former commissioner of the FEC, told the newspaper: “They don’t want two investigators or and and but or and and or or or and and vote and they don’t want anything done by the FEC, which is a civil agency, that could complicate a criminal case.
Check out the full Washington Post story here.