Tag Archives: scandal

Talking Points Memo reports: Rep.-elect George Santos’ “family firm” that supposedly managed $80 million in assets was initially registered at a gynecologist’s office in a Florida office park. Santos and several of his colleagues have ties to an alleged multimillion-dollar “ponzi scheme” and a complex network of companies. Among his associates, we found a businessman who claims to have the …

The New York Post reports: Senior House Republicans were so keenly aware of alleged inaccuracies and embellishments in Rep-elect George Santos’s professional biography, that the topic became a “running joke,” multiple insiders close to House GOP leadership told The Post. “As far as questions about George in general, that was always something that was brought up whenever we talked about …

The New York Times reports: Peter Hamilton met Mr. Santos near the start of 2014, he said. He recalled how Mr. Santos, who claimed to be an N.Y.U. graduate, had not recognized the name of the business school he said he had attended. Nonetheless, Mr. Hamilton found him charismatic and intelligent. He did not hesitate when Mr. Santos said that …

The Daily Beast reports: Fox News has all but ignored the growing controversy since The New York Times published its investigation of the GOP politician on Monday. Of course, this is far from the first time the network has largely turned a blind eye to a story with inconvenient facts for its right-wing audience. Fox News had presented Santos as …

Patch New York reports: As allegations of a fabricated background swirl around Long Island Congressman-elect George Santos, several people have detailed how they worked alongside him in a Queens customer service center. Patch spoke with multiple people who said they worked alongside Santos at Dish Network in College Point in 2011 and 2012. They offered details of his background not …

Raw Story reports: In a tweet posted on Thursday afternoon, Santos vowed to answer all the questions raised by multiple reports about his background some time next week. However, many of Santos’ Twitter followers were quick to point out that there is little he can really say given the sheer scale of deception he has apparently employed. Read the full …

The Jewish Forward reports: Congressman-elect George Santos’ emotional narrative of having Jewish grandparents who fled Europe during World War II appears to be untrue, like much of the rest of his campaign biography, according to genealogy websites reviewed by the Forward. Santos, a Long Island Republican, has said that his father was Catholic and his mother was Jewish, and that …

Gainesville’s ABC affiliate reports: Former state Rep. Joe Harding, a Republican from Ocala, could go on trial in May to face charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements. Harding’s attorney, Peggy-Anne O’Connor, filed a motion Monday in federal court in Gainesville to move the trial to May. It had initially been scheduled for Jan. 11. The motion …

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports: On Sunday night, George Santos joined the Republican Jewish Coalition on Long Island, where he was just elected to Congress, for a menorah-lighting to mark the first night of Hanukkah. He’d been invited as one of just two freshmen Republican Jews elected to Congress in November. Santos, 34, has identified to Jewish Insider as Jewish …

Via press release from the CFPB: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is ordering Wells Fargo Bank to pay more than $2 billion in redress to consumers and a $1.7 billion civil penalty for legal violations across several of its largest product lines. The bank’s illegal conduct led to billions of dollars in financial harm to its customers and, for …

Playbook reports: Democrats are scouring the record of Rep.-elect George Santos to determine their next steps following an extraordinary New York Times investigation of the incoming Republican from Long Island that revealed a history of seemingly fraudulent claims. Democrats are pondering how far to go in their condemnation. Should he be referred to the House Ethics Committee? (Almost certainly.) Should …

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: A former Catholic priest who pleaded guilty last month to a felony obscenity charge for performing sex acts with two professional dominatrices on the altar of a Pearl River church has been held in contempt of court for giving a television news interview. Travis Clark, 39, now must serve six months behind bars. Clark had …

The Daily Beast reports: Four European Union leaders have been charged with participation in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption, tied to alleged bribes from FIFA World Cup host Qatar. Raids on diplomats’ homes in Brussels and Strasbourg, where the E.U. parliament meets, uncovered “bags of money.” Greek EU vice president Eva Kaili—who is languishing in a Belgium jail …

The Florida Times-Union reports: Kent Stermon, an influential Northeast Florida Republican political donor and a member of the Board of Governors, died Thursday night. He was 50. Stermon was president of Total Military Management, a logistics firm that re-locates members of the armed services, and both through political donations and personal relationships, particularly with Gov. Ron DeSantis, had become a …

The Florida Phoenix reports: Florida Speaker of the House Paul Renner released a statement saying that he will remove Harding from all his committee assignments. “After consultation with Rep. Harding regarding his indictment, I am temporarily removing him from his committee assignments to allow him time to focus on this matter,” Renner said. “In America, we adhere to the rule …

Florida Politics reports: A federal grand jury has indicted Republican Rep. Joe Harding of House District 24 on six felony counts, including money laundering and wire fraud, the DOJ announced Wednesday. The indictment alleges that between Dec. 1, 2020 and March 1, 2021, Harding committed two acts of wire fraud through a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration and …

Politico reports: Sen. Marco Rubio acknowledged on Tuesday through a spokesperson that he met with indicted ex-Rep. David Rivera to discuss a potential deal to normalize relations between the United States and Venezuela — but didn’t know that his one-time friend and long-time political ally was working on behalf of strongman Nicolás Maduro. Rubio’s dealings with Rivera emerged Monday night …

The Associated Press reports: A former Miami congressman who signed a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela’s socialist government was arrested Monday in connection with an ongoing federal criminal investigation, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. David Rivera, a Republican who served from 2011 to 2013, was arrested at Atlanta’s airport. Pressure has been building on Rivera for more …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Tampa police Chief Mary O’Connor resigned Monday effective immediately after an investigation into a Pinellas County traffic stop where she flashed a badge and asked a deputy to “just let us go.” Mayor Jane Castor asked for and received the resignation, Castor announced Monday in a news release. An internal review by the department’s Professional …

CNBC reports: Distressed crypto firm BlockFi has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey following the implosion of putative acquirer FTX. In the filing, the company indicated that it had more than 100,000 creditors, with liabilities and assets ranging to $10 billion. In the filing, the company listed an outstanding …