Former Republican congressman George Santos, a liar, raised $0 in March in his bid to return to Congress after being expelled from the House late last year after being indicted by the federal government on charges of fraud and campaign finance violations.
Santos for Congress was launched to raise funds to unseat disgraced Republican-turned-independent Rep. Nick Larota (R-New York) in his 1st Congressional District seat. At the election committee meeting held, it was reported that there were no donations or expenditures between March 7th and March 31st.federal election commission document has been submitted on Monday’s show.
But former lawmakers say the lack of funding is intentional.
“We won’t collect a penny until it’s approved on the ballot,” the 35-year-old said. Daily Beast Monday.
Santos said the unusual decision not to raise money until the end of the contest was to counter accusations that he was playing against Lalota only to “squeeze” money from the few remaining supporters.
Santos needs to collect 3,500 signatures from District 1 residents by May 15 to qualify for the ballot.
“I have set the standard that only candidates with confirmed access to the ballot should raise funds,” Santos told the outlet.
Santos, who represented New York’s 3rd Congressional District for 11 months before being removed from office on December 1, faces 23 federal indictments for allegedly laundering campaign funds and defrauding donors. .
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The House Ethics Committee’s investigation into Santos also found that the former congressman used campaign funds for personal splurges, including an X-rated OnlyFans subscription, Botox injections and luxury travel.
The commission’s report also found “substantial evidence” of criminal conduct by Santos.
On March 7, after attending President Biden’s State of the Union address, Santos announced he would attempt to challenge LaRota in November.
“I just witnessed a weak and frail president spew abuse and lies to the American people from inside the Capitol.” Santos wrote about X. “I have made some personal sacrifices in the name of serving the American people. My promise is that I will never back down because of my love for this country.”
Mr. Santos was expelled from the House by a vote of 311-114, with Mr. Larota among the 105 Republicans who supported Mr. Santos’ removal.
