George Santos, RN.Y., addresses other members as the search for speakers continues during the 118th Congress meeting at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, Friday, January 6, 2023. increase.
Javin Botsford | Washington Post | Getty Images
Republican Rep. George Santos’ campaign faces renewed scrutiny from the Federal Election Commission after a person listed as Santos’s campaign fund manager denied he held the job. ing.
FEC letter Requesting more information about the controversy marked the latest effort to extract the truth from Santos, a new New York congressman who admitted to fabricating important details of his background. Numerous scandals and investigations.
“The Federal Election Commission took note that you may not have included true, accurate or complete accounting information,” read the letter dated Thursday.
It was addressed to Santos’ campaign and Thomas Datwiler, who was listed as a treasurer on the amended form filed Wednesday, and addressed Santos’ longtime treasurer, Nancy Marks. seems to have been replaced.
However, Datwiler’s attorney, Derek Ross, was quick to dispute that campaign filing.
“On Monday, we notified the Santos campaign that Mr. Datwiler will not be taking over accounting,” Ross said in a statement at the time. It seems there is.”
In a call with CNBC on Friday, Ross said he was working with the FEC to resolve the confusion, calling it “a misunderstanding or something.”
The lawyer added that he was not trying to reach out to the Santos camp because it “seems like a waste of time.”
“If you know who is currently in charge of the campaign and how I can reach them, please let me know,” Ross said.
A spokesman for Santos’ office declined to comment on his campaign or personal matters.A lawyer for Santos did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the FEC letter.
A number of other Santos-affiliated political committees also received the same letter after citing Datwiler as their new treasurer, news outlets report.
The letter gave the Santos campaign a deadline of 2 March to respond. The FEC warned that “willingly and knowingly making any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation to a federal agency” will lead to criminal prosecution.
Santos vowed to complete his term and rejected bipartisan calls to resign. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) said this week that Santos would be removed from Congress only if the House Ethics Committee determined that he broke the law.
McCarthy, who heads a Republican majority that could slim down even more if Santos leaves Congress, told NBC News on Friday afternoon that he never met Santos one-on-one.
