According to Q1 FEC reports, 13 Republicans continue to hold onto George Santos’ tainted money despite the scandals surrounding Santos and the likely illegality of his money.
After months of pressure from ECU, Representatives Nick LaLota and Marc Molinaro were the only members to begrudgingly give up the money they took from Santos.
In January, ECU launched a pressure campaign calling on Republican members of Congress who took cash from Santos to donate the money to charity.
These members are still holding onto Santos’ money:
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FL-07 – Cory Mills ($5,000)
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FL-27 – Maria Elvira Salazar ($4,900)
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IL-15 – Mary Miller ($5,000)
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OH-07 – Max Miller ($5,000)
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NY-17 – Mike Lawler ($2,900)
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NY-21 – Elise Stefanik ($5,000 to leadership PAC)
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NY-22 – Brandon Williams ($5,000)
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NY-24 – Claudia Tenney ($2,000)
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TX-04 – Pat Fallon ($5,000)
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TX-13 – Ronny Jackson ($3,500)
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TX-24 – Beth Van Duyne ($5,000)
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WV-01 – Carol Miller ($1,000)
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WY-AL – Harriet Hageman ($2,900)
Coverage:
The East Hampton Star: Residents Call Out LaLota
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In a separate development, End Citizens United, a group comprising Democratic operatives working to combat the influence of money in politics, announced on Tuesday that Mr. LaLota has donated a $2,900 contribution he received from Mr. Santos. Mr. LaLota was one of 12 legislators the group had called on to donate money received from the congressman.
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“What took Nick LaLota several months to decide should have only taken him several seconds,” Bawadden Sayed, a spokesman for End Citizens United, said in a statement. “George Santos’ tainted money has no place in his campaign account. It took a massive pressure campaign for him to begrudgingly donate the money. LaLota should be ashamed he held onto Santos’ money for that long, and the other Republicans still holding onto his money should donate it too — and do so immediately.”
River Reporter: ECU calls on Molinaro to donate Santos’ money to charity
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End Citizens United (ECU) issued an open letter to Republican members of Congress who took money from Congressman George Santos (NY-3), calling on them to donate the money to charity. The freshman senator Santos has come under scrutiny for campaign-trail lies about his accomplishments and his heritage, and for alleged improprieties with his finances. “Keeping the money or returning it to Santos would be an endorsement of his deception and corruption,” wrote ECU.
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Congressman Marc Molinaro (NY-19) took $1,000 from Santos, according to ECU. Molinaro has signaled his belief that Santos should resign in published reports.
Auburn Pub: Letter: Williams holds tainted Santos donations
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Congressman Brandon Williams is one of 12 Republicans who took campaign contributions from George Santos. He has $2,100 of tainted Santos money in his campaign coffers. Williams has tried to talk a big game by calling for Santos’ resignation, but he has not done anything about the thousands of dollars of corrupt Santos money sitting in his campaign account.
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By holding on to his money, Williams is implicitly endorsing Santos’ dishonesty and corruption. We urge him to immediately donate his tainted Santos money to charity.
The American Independent: Watchdog group calls on GOP lawmakers to get rid of money they got from Rep. George Santos
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End Citizens United, which works to elect Democratic candidates who support reform of democracy and money in politics and promotes pro-democracy efforts in general, wrote to a dozen current House Republicans who received donations from GADS PAC or from Santos during the 2022 campaign urging them to donate the money to charity.
Oswego County News Now: Group renews call for Tenney to give up Santos donation
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After candidates filed their end-of-year financial disclosures with the FEC, the End Citizens United group issued a statement condemning Tenney for not donating Santos’ campaign contribution of $2,000 to charity…
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“Despite the numerous investigations and glaring red flags of being associated with Santos, Rep. Tenney refused to donate the money she took from him,” said Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United. “By keeping the tainted Santos money, Tenney is at best refusing to join the bipartisan effort to hold Santos accountable, and at worst, endorsing Santos’ lies, deception and corruption.”
Putnam County Courier: Rep. Lawler Is Sitting on Santos’ Money, Despite Calling for his Resignation
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Congressman Mike Lawler has tried to talk a big game by calling for Santos’ resignation, but he took $2,900 from George Santos. Despite his big talk, Lawler has not done anything about the thousands of dollars of corrupt Santos money sitting in his campaign coffers, and has been radio silent on whether he will donate the money to charity.
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By holding on to his money, Lawler is implicitly endorsing Santos’ dishonesty and corruption. We urge him to immediately donate his tainted Santos money to charity.
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