Disclosures of Rep. George Santos (RN.Y.)’s campaign finances reveal that more money has been returned as refunds than contributions since the start of the year.
Between Jan. 1 and March 31, Santos’s campaign received $5,333 in individual contributions but spent $8,353 in refunds to individual donors, according to his campaign finance report filed with the Federal Election Commission.
The FEC’s filing indicates that the refunds were Santos’s only campaign disbursements during that three-month period, with no operating expenses or personnel expenses listed. No loan repayments were listed either, even though the committee owed $715,000 in loans that the documents reveal were made by Santos with personal funds. According to the report, the committee has just over $25,000 in cash on hand.
Santos came under scrutiny last year after he admitted fabricating details on his resume while running for Congress, including falsely claiming he earned a college degree and misrepresenting his work experience.
Several state, federal and congressional groups are now investigating the freshman congressman and his campaign finances. The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into a series of controversies surrounding Santos, and earlier this year the congressman decided to step down from his House committee assignments, shortly after taking the oath of office. he.
Santos’ former campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, who worked on his 2020 and 2022 campaigns, resigned in January amid campaign financial scrutiny. The new treasurer on the list is Andrew Olson.
Santos last month filed papers with the FEC for a 2024 re-election bid, though he has not officially launched a campaign.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
