On Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) asked the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to hold off any enforcement action against Congressman George Santos, signaling that the agency is conducting its own investigation. The announcement follows End Citizens United’s (ECU) request in early January that the DOJ open an investigation into Santos and hold him accountable for his shady and unlawful actions.
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The complaint filed with the DOJ states that Santos violated federal law on multiple occasions by failing to file any financial disclosure reports in 2021 as required, and failing to file on time in 2022 prior to the Republican primary election on August 23.
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In addition, after Santos loaned more than $500,000 to his own campaign, he failed to accurately disclose several sources of income and identify which banking institution they belong to, and failed to identify clients he allegedly performed services for through the Devolder Organization.
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Santos’ financial disclosures strongly contradict claims he has made publicly about his financial background, including his “family fortune in real estate,” since the only property listed on his disclosure is an apartment in Rio de Janeiro, and his claims to be an “investor”, as he did not list any investment assets other than the apartment.
Click here to view the DOJ complaint.
Washington Post: Justice Department asks FEC to stand down as prosecutors probe Santos
1/27/2023
Key Points:
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The Justice Department has asked the Federal Election Commission to hold off on any enforcement action against George Santos, the Republican congressman from New York who lied about key aspects of his biography, as prosecutors conduct a parallel criminal probe, according to two people familiar with the request.
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The request, which came from the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, is the clearest sign to date that federal prosecutors are examining Santos’s campaign finances.
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The request also asked that the FEC provide any relevant documents to the Justice Department, according to the knowledgeable people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.
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The FEC ordinarily complies with DOJ requests to hold off on enforcement. Those requests arise from a 1977 memorandum of understanding between the agencies that addresses their overlapping law enforcement responsibilities.
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The request “indicates there’s an active criminal investigation” examining issues that overlap with complaints against Santos before the FEC, said Brett Kappel, a campaign finance lawyer at D.C.-based Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg.
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On Wednesday, the Santos campaign submitted paperwork to the FEC replacing treasurer Nancy Marks, a longtime accountant for GOP candidates in New York, with Wisconsin-based Thomas Datwyler. Datwyler’s lawyer previously told The Post that his client never signed or authorized the documents and had communicated to the campaign that he did not intend to serve as treasurer.
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On Thursday, the FEC sought more information about the disputed filing. “It has come to the attention of the Federal Election Commission that you may have failed to include the true, correct, or complete treasurer information,” the regulator wrote to Datwyler in a letter requesting further information.
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Datwyler’s lawyer told The Post on Friday that he plans to tell the FEC that his client did not submit the filing and that it should be withdrawn.
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