DOJ Prosecutors Open Criminal Probe Into Santos

The Washington Post reports:

The Justice Department has asked the Federal Election Commission to hold off on any enforcement action against George Santos, the Republican congressman from New York who lied about key aspects of his biography, as prosecutors conduct a parallel criminal probe, according to two people familiar with the request.

The request, which came from the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, is the clearest sign to date that federal prosecutors are examining Santos’s campaign finances.

The Justice Department request also asked that the FEC provide any relevant documents to the Justice Department, according to the knowledgeable people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.

Read the full article.

Breaking news: Justice Dept. asks FEC to hold off on investigating George Santos campaign as prosecutors conduct criminal inquiry. The request is the clearest sign to date of an active probe examining the New York congressman’s campaign finances. https://t.co/hxrJZXXY6a

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 27, 2023

“The request ‘indicates there’s an active criminal investigation’ examining issues that overlap with complaints against Santos before the FEC, said Brett Kappel, a campaign finance lawyer.” One complaint targets $700k in “personal loans” among other things https://t.co/aK3Eafafag

— Roger Sollenberger (@SollenbergerRC) January 27, 2023

EXCLUSIVE: The FEC notified the treasurer for the George Santos campaign and his other political committees that they “may have failed to include the true, correct, or complete treasurer information” when they erroneously named a new treasurer this week. https://t.co/fyPVZnf8Du

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) January 27, 2023