House Ethics Committee says it found ‘substantial evidence’ Rep. Santos broke the law

The House Ethics Committee released a report following an investigation into embattled Rep. George Santos, saying that it found “substantial evidence of potential violations of criminal law.”

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In a report publicized Thursday, the committee said it was referring evidence of several alleged crimes to the Justice Department.

Among other things, the panel said Santos “blatantly stole from his campaign,” had his campaign file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission and violated federal law with omissions and errors in the federal disclosure statements filed with the House.

“Representative Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit,” the panel’s investigative subcommittee said in its report on Santos. They added that Santos “sustained all of this through a constant series of lies to his constituents, donors, and staff about his background and experience.”

In a statement shared on social media, Santos accused the committee of going to “extraordinary lengths to smear myself and my legal team” and said he would not seek a second term in office.

“It is a disgusting politicized smear that shows the depths of how low our federal government has sunk,” he wrote. “Everyone who participated in this grave miscarriage of Justice should all be ashamed of themselves.”

The committee’s report came down as Santos faces prosecution on a slew of charges. Authorities said he lied to the FEC, stole identities and used his campaign donors’ credit cards without authorization. He has denied all charges and is expected to face a trial in September 2024.

On Tuesday, a former fundraiser for Santos pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud charge after he was accused of impersonating an aide to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a scheme to attract donations to Santos’ congressional campaign.

Last month, Santos’ former campaign treasurer pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the U.S. government. Authorities said she submitted false reports to the Federal Election Commission to get support from Republican Party officials.

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