US Congressman George Santos, son of Brazilians involved in controversies after lies about his career surfaced, rectified part of his campaign accounts on Tuesday (24).
The change involves donations of US$ 500,000 (R$ 2.5 million) that had been declared as made by the congressman himself.
The information was revealed by The Daily Beast website, which analyzed changes made by Santos in the accountability documents sent to American bodies that investigate the deputy.
Suspicions about his financial history and the costs of his campaign increased the criticism, made even by Republicans, of the series of lies he told to get elected.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican, said Santos could lose his seat in Congress if there is evidence that he violated campaign finance laws.
The new statement edited by him no longer marks the “candidate’s personal funds” option for donated amounts. Although he still claims that the money came from the deputy himself, the origins of the amounts are not further detailed.
Another addendum to the documents also suggests that the separate sum of US$ 125 thousand (R$ 633 thousand), previously attributed to the republican, did not come from his private coffers.
Shortly after the documents were changed, the Santos campaign announced that it was removing its treasurer, Nancy Marks, who was responsible for nearly all of the funds declared by the congressman. The deputy and his team did not clarify the reason for the dismissal.
A recent review of the Republican’s campaign documents and expenses indicated possible irregularities, with a mysterious fund, RedStone Strategies, appearing as the source of part of the money raised by the politician’s team.
An indictment filed with the Federal Election Committee (FEC), which monitors campaign spending, alleges that he withheld donors and used campaign funds to pay personal expenses, which is irregular. The body says it still has no evidence that RedStone is registered as a political group and there appears to be no record documenting donors, contributions or expenditures.
The obscurity surrounding fundraising operations on behalf of Santos makes it difficult to know whether any laws have been broken. But an examination of the records suggests that RedStone may have broken the law.
One of the declared donors of his campaign is the businessman Andrew Intrater, cousin of the Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, target of sanctions of the American government. A prolific Republican supporter, Intrater invested at least US$30,000 in Santos’ election.
Another well-known Republican supporter who financed Santos is the Chinese Cheng Gao, who put US$ 11,200 in the campaign. The son of Brazilians also received donations and support from the family of Italian Rocco Oppedisano, arrested in 2019 for illegally transporting immigrants from the Bahamas to Florida.
To The New York Times, Jordan Libowitz, an expert in responsibility and ethics based in Washington, said that it is common for politicians to correct discrepancies pointed out by the Electoral Commission in their financial statements, especially when they are newcomers, but that Santos’ case shows unusual.
He explained that, until the beginning of this week, the Republican deputy’s campaign had an above-average number of changed files. Only in documents that had been filed from July to October 2021, there were seven changes.
Elected last November in the midterms, the midterm elections in the US, Santos acknowledged having deceived voters about his educational and professional record, saying that his only sin was having “embellished” the curriculum.
Santos was sworn in despite colleagues calling for investigations into his behavior and Republican leaders in New York, including four first-term congressmen, calling for his resignation. Prosecutors have indicated they are keeping an eye on Santos, with investigations being opened.
There is also an accusation that he would have sent emails to supporters offering visits to Congress in exchange for “donations” of up to US$ 500 – which is not allowed by the rules of the House.
In Brazil, the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rio de Janeiro also decided to reopen a case for embezzlement, which was suspended because authorities were unable to locate him. The action now runs in secrecy. He was indicted in 2008 after stealing a checkbook, which he used to make purchases – the checks had no funds.
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