Fogbow

George Santos is the only member of Congress not to file financial disclosures

Indicted freshman congressman and serial fabulist George Santos is the only member of Congress who has not yet filed his mandatory personal financial disclosure, a CREW analysis of filings provided by the Clerk of the House of Representatives has found. The document’s absence is especially notable a month after the final deadline blew by—and a week after the only other remaining House holdout filed—because many of Santos’s growing legal problems are centered on his self-mythologizing about his own finances.

Santos’s failure to file not only demonstrates a lack of respect for rules that exist to provide the public with information that can be used to identify serious conflicts of interest, but it also further obscures Santos’s personal finances, which are at the center of a 13-count indictment from May, alleging that Santos cheated donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress on previous financial disclosures he filed as a candidate. This month Santos’s treasurer pleaded guilty to helping further his illegal schemes—including a $500,000 loan Santos himself claimed to have given to his campaign when he only had less than $8,000 in the bank—and Santos was hit this week with a 23-count superseding indictment which included accusations of pocketing campaign donors’ money.

There are significant possible penalties for knowingly failing to file an annual financial disclosure. Aside from a $200 late fee, the instructions members are given to file their annual financial reports notes that “the Attorney General may pursue either civil or criminal penalties against an individual who knowingly and willfully falsifies…or fails to file” the financial filings that are required under the Ethics in Government Act. The maximum civil and criminal penalty in such cases is $71,316, according to the document.

Rep. George Santos @RepSantosNY03 wrote: Fact check: I SAID — If House Republicans work with House Dems to elect Jeffries as House Speaker, I’m out.

Facts matter.

#TuckFrump @realTuckFrumper wrote: PROMISE? Santos says he’ll resign if GOP works with Dems on House Speaker crisis https://occupydemocrats.com/2023/10/15/ ... er-crisis/

Facts matter.

Slim Cognito wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2023 2:21 pm

Facts matter.

Do they? And to whom?

Mary L Trump
@MaryLTrump
BREAKING NEWS: Republicans will move forward with a resolution to expel George Santos from the House as early as this week.

Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro says he expects a quick timetable for a vote.

“George Santos is a liar and a fraud who should not be a member of Congress. Since he won't resign and with the House Ethics Committee not moving at the pace we had hoped, we're adjusting our approach and pushing forward a resolution to expel him,” he said.

It’s about damn time. Santos has to go.

1 down 147 insurrectionists to go.

Suranis wrote: ↑Wed Oct 25, 2023 11:38 pm https://twitter.com/MaryLTrump/status/1 ... 4909846850

Mary L Trump
@MaryLTrump
BREAKING NEWS: Republicans will move forward with a resolution to expel George Santos from the House as early as this week.

Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro says he expects a quick timetable for a vote.

“George Santos is a liar and a fraud who should not be a member of Congress. Since he won't resign and with the House Ethics Committee not moving at the pace we had hoped, we're adjusting our approach and pushing forward a resolution to expel him,” he said.

It’s about damn time. Santos has to go.

1 down 147 insurrectionists to go.

Congressman Anthony D'Esposito took to the House floor on Thursday to formally demand the vote of expulsion and read the resolution.

It comes after prosecutors filed 23 charges against Mr Santos earlier this month - including identity theft.

Mr Santos denies the charges and has insisted he will not resign.

But he has come under increasing pressure to quit the chamber, and several other Republicans from his home state of New York said they would table the resolution earlier this month.

Mr D'Esposito was joined by New York Republican colleagues Marc Molinaro, Nick LaLota, and Mike Lawler in calling for Mr Santos' ousting on Thursday evening.

"George Santos is not fit to serve his constituents as a United States representative," Mr D'Esposito's resolution read.

He later referred to Mr Santos a "conman" and a "stain on the House" in a social media post. He and his colleagues cite the indictments and investigations into Mr Santos' conduct as justification for expulsion.

But in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr Santos wrote that "I'm not resigning" and said he is "entitled to due process and not a predetermined outcome as some are seeking".

It is extremely rare for the House of Representatives to expel one of their own. The US Constitution requires two-thirds vote of the House, rather than a simple majority.

But in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter,

Sam the Centipede wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 3:44 am

Off Topic

Gregg, in my mind is is now Xitter, and the X is pronounced "sh". It would be helpful if mainstream media could use this simple portmanteau or shorthand.

Congressman George Santos faces additional federal charges. He was formally arraigned Friday morning on the superseding indictment, a spokesperson for the US Attorney office said.

Santos entered a not-guilty plea on charges related to credit card fraud and identity theft, NBC News reported.

Santos is accused of "stealing people's identities and making charges on his own donors’ credit cards without their authorization," US Attorney for the Eastern District, Breon Peace, said the superseding indictment was announced last month.

According to the new indictment, Santos is charged with "one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, two counts of wire fraud, two counts of making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), two counts of falsifying records submitted to obstruct the FEC, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of access device fraud."

Santos' trial date is set for Sept. 9, 2024. The next status conference is scheduled for Dec. 12.

Mike Johnson Suggests He’s Willing to Put Up With George Santos’s Bullshit So Republicans Can Maintain the House Majority

One seemingly big sign that George Anthony Devolder Santos probably needn’t clear out his office just yet? The fact that new House Speaker Mike Johnson does not exactly appear enthused about giving him the boot. And by “not exactly enthused,” we mean he basically told Sean Hannity last night that Republicans can’t kick out Santos because it would shrink their already tiny majority.

Acyn
@Acyn
Johnson: And so we'll have what may be the most razor thin majority in the history of the congress. We have no margin for error. And so George Santos is due due process, right?

Is Santos an accused con man who, according to the indictment, allegedly ripped off donors, and is still in the habit of making the absolute most dubious claims to reporters, like that his niece was kidnapped by Chinese communists? Sure! But, alas, Republicans still need his vote.

CNN’s Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju reported that New York Congressional Republicans are close to obtaining the 2/3rds needed to pass an expulsion resolution to remove George Santos from the House.

However, Speaker Johnson has signaled continuing to allow Santos to serve despite his repeated lies and multiple indictments. The New York Republican members who want Johnson removed may need to contend with the new Speaker.

Republicans have empowered George Santos from the beginning. They seated him knowing he lied multiple times. They seated him knowing his allegedly stole items from others and allegedly misused financial information.

Republicans allowed Santos, who allegedly committed identity theft, access to constituent information and are poised to continue doing so under Speaker Johnson unless the New York Republicans can convince their colleagues to boot him.

AndyinPA wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 5:27 pm I think I heard Mike Johnson saying last week that he was against this as their margin in the House is so thin.

Johnson: And so we'll have what may be the most razor thin majority in the history of the congress. We have no margin for error. And so George Santos is due due process, right?

Shizzle Popped wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 7:50 pm My brother, who lives in NYC, thinks there's no way Santos can win that district again if he's on the ticket. Apparently, the people who live there are really pissed off about the whole thing. It would probably be wise for the Republicans to boot him now so they can put someone on the ballot who has at least some chance of winning and at least look like the party is trying to do the right thing.

Shizzle Popped wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 7:50 pm My brother, who lives in NYC, thinks there's no way Santos can win that district again if he's on the ticket. Apparently, the people who live there are really pissed off about the whole thing. It would probably be wise for the Republicans to boot him now so they can put someone on the ballot who has at least some chance of winning and at least look like the party is trying to do the right thing.