US Rep. George Santos files possible reelection paperwork

U.S. Rep. George Santos, R-New York, on Tuesday filed paperwork showing his possible plans to run for reelection.

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Santos, 34, is facing criminal and ethics investigations over statements he made during his campaign in the 2022 midterm election.

The Federal Election Commission filing doesn’t mean Santos will indeed run for reelection. The filing allows candidates to begin to raise money for a campaign.

According to the AP, some of that money could be used to pay for Santos’ future legal bills. It could also help him repay more than $700,000 that Santos claimed to have loaned his campaign.

Several House members, including some Republicans, have asked Santos to resign, according to The New York Times.

Santos has reportedly admitted to making up lies about his life, CBS News said.

He claimed to have graduated from New York’s Baruch College in 2010 and said that he worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, according to the Times. Neither the school nor the companies could confirm his statements, the newspaper reported.

Santos also claimed he had Jewish ancestry and was a star volleyball player, the AP reported.

A formal ethics complaint was filed in January with the Federal Election Commission. According to CBS News, the complaint claimed Santos illegally used campaign funds for personal expenses along with allegedly submitting false information about where his campaign donations came from and his campaign expenses. The House Ethics Committee has also opened an investigation into claims Santos made.

Santos was elected last November to represent Long Island and Queens, N.Y. He was able to flip a Democratic seat and help the Republicans win a majority in the House.

The Federal Election Commission requires candidates to raise or spend more than $5,000 toward an election to continue fund-raising and spending campaign funds. Santos passed that mark at the end of 2022, according to campaign finance reports obtained by the Times.