Federal prosecutors have charged Representative George Santos of New York. He is a Republican congressman who has surprised even hardened politicians with an astonishing pattern of lies and hoaxes, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Santos is scheduled to appear in federal court for the Eastern District of New York on Wednesday, where the charges have been sealed.
The exact nature of the allegations is not immediately known, but the FBI and Justice Departments in New York and Washington are probing public integrity prosecutor Santos’ alleged misrepresentations of campaign finance filings and other claims.
The MLA’s lawyer declined to comment. Spokesmen for the US Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, the Justice Department and the FBI declined to comment.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Santos will return to New York Tuesday night to skip the House vote in the evening.
Santos spokeswoman Nyssa Vroom did not answer shouting questions from reporters Tuesday afternoon and abruptly left the congresswoman’s D.C. office with a bag when questioned about the federal charges against her. Before she left the office, CNN saw three Santos employees suddenly leave with the bag. When asked for comment, they would not speak.
Last year, a new member of the House of Representatives elected to represent a district that includes parts of Long Island and Queens was investigated by multiple jurisdictions and the House Ethics Committee.
Top Democrats, joined by some Republicans from New York, have called for Santos’ resignation over allegations ranging from campaign criminal activity to blatant personal dishonesty dating back more than a decade.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would review the allegations before deciding whether he thought Santos should be removed from Congress.
The California Republican Party told CNN on Tuesday that it would “look into the allegations.”
Santos was seen by CNN walking in and out of McCarthy’s office at the Capitol earlier that day. A spokeswoman said she did not know why Santos was there and that the congressman had not spoken personally about the allegations.
During his tenure, Santos was accused of violating campaign finance laws, violating federal conflict of interest laws, stealing cash intended for the dying dog of an Iraq War veteran, being behind a credit card fraud scheme, and that of school. He was accused of lying about events in which he had participated. Work
Santos has admitted to making misleading claims about his education and financial status, but continues to deny the more serious claims.
In his victorious campaign last year, Santos defeated his Democratic opponent on crime and inflation following the Republican midterm elections. The message resonated in suburban New York, where Republican candidates flipped four seats to win a narrow House majority.
However, as Santos’ past was scrutinized and most of his official biography came to nothing, he increasingly adapted the persona of a right-wing troll.
He has expressed support for former President Donald Trump and once claimed that Democrats were “trying to ban toilet paper.”