Santos reportedly denies stealing charity aid for dying dog as pressure mounts

Even as Rep. George Santos won seats on the committee on Tuesday, there are renewed calls for a deeper dive into his past.

The latest twist in the saga was a report from Patch.com on Tuesday evening that detailed the allegation that Santos – under an alias – sponsored a fundraiser for a disabled veteran’s sick service dog and then kept the money for himself instead.

The new allegation sparked new outrage over the congressman’s many alleged wrongdoings, though he texted Semafor strongly denying the story. NBC News also reached out to Santos for comment, but had not received a response as of Wednesday morning.

In a statement to NBC New York, crowdfunding platform GoFundMe released a statement saying, “When we received a report of an issue with this fundraiser in late 2016, our trust and security team requested proof of delivery of funds from the organizer. The organizer did not respond, resulting in the fundraiser being deleted and the email associated with this account being banned from further use on our platform GoFundMe has a zero tolerance policy for misuse of our platform and cooperates with law enforcement when investigating individuals accused in offenses. .”

The dog story followed a previous New York Times report on questions regarding Santos’ animal charities, including allegations that other funds raised did not reach their intended recipients.

It came as another New York congressman called on the Federal Election Commission to investigate possible illegal Republican campaign activity, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy acknowledged that he and his team knew there were questions about Santos’ credibility before the election.

Rep. Richie Torres of the Bronx visited voters in Long Island’s Santos County and told them he had filed a letter with the Federal Election Commission asking them to look into the matter. Torres, a Democrat, said Santos’s false background — with fictitious details about where he worked and attended schools — combined with unusual financial information could be illegal.

“The $700,000 question: where did all the money come from?” Torres said. “My message to Mr. Santos: this will end badly for you. You must resign.”

Just last week, Santos called coverage of his anguish “media bullshit” as he defiantly insisted he had no plans to leave Congress. He said that all he had done was polish his resume, and that ethical scrutiny of his background would not keep him out of the service.

McCarthy confirmed on Tuesday that he would indeed receive committee seats and additional responsibilities. He was a member of the Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee, Republican sources told NBC News.

However, McCarthy also admitted that his own team had some suspicions of Santos even before he was elected due to the actions of one of his employees.

“My staff expressed concern when he had an employee impersonating my chief of staff, and that person was fired,” McCarthy said. “I never knew about his resume, but I always had a few questions about it.”

The newly elected speaker of the House of Representatives said he had no plans to take action against Santos, stating that voters, not him, should decide Santos’ fate. McCarthy’s remarks, echoing his other recent comments, drew a reaction from a newly elected New York Democrat.

“We’re very concerned about the extent to which the Republican leadership has been complicit in Santos’ scheme to defraud his constituents,” freshman Rep. Dan Goldman, a former prosecutor, said.

Goldman said aides to Republican leader Eliza Stefanik even helped Santos repackage his campaign when several others left. Stefanik could not be contacted for comment.

Political activists launched the program “Where’s George?” a campaign calling on Long Islanders to take a picture of Santos if they see him and upload it as he is not in his rightful office. Reported by Andrew Siff.

In Brooklyn, after meeting with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakim Jeffreys said, “The situation in Santos speaks for itself. And as Leader Schumer pointed out, there is an extremist group of Republicans who want to push the country off the cliff.”

A spokesman for Santos, who was expected in New York during the break, declined to comment.

“I came here to serve the people, not politicians and party leaders, and that’s what I’m going to do,” Santos said in an interview with Florida Rep. Matt Goetz on Steve Bannon’s War Room last week. “I was elected by 142,000 people. Until these 142,000 people tell me they don’t need me, we’ll find out in two years.”

“I’ve worked my whole life, I’ve lived an honest life, I’ve never been accused or tried for any bad deeds,” Santos said, refusing to specifically answer Getz’s repeated questions about the source of the $700,000 he lent to his campaign.

— I’ll tell you where it didn’t come from: China. Ukraine. What about this? he said during a mostly friendly interview, before saying he’s focused on working on issues that matter to his constituents, like fighting a car-jacking crime ring in wealthy neighborhoods in his constituency.

George Santos said in the Steve Bannon War Room that he was staying put. This is reported by Gilma Avalos.

His comments came after virtually the entire New York Republican leadership called on Santos to resign from Congress, saying he was “disgraced” and should step aside.

The Jan. 11 challenge from his own party’s leadership was strongest against the top-ranking freshman who represents New York’s 3rd district, which includes parts of Queens and most of Nassau County. As of last week, six of the 10 other members of the GOP delegation to the New York Congress called for Santos to leave.

“George Santos’ campaign last year was a campaign of deceit, lies and fraud,” said Nassau County GOP Committee Chairman Joseph Cairo Jr., who was joined by about three dozen elected GOP officials, calling him a blot on the party and Congress. . “He deceived the voters of the 3rd constituency. He deceived members of the Nassau County Republican Committee, elected officials, his colleagues, candidates, his opponents, and even some members of the media.”

In recent weeks, Santos has admitted to lying about his education, work experience and his investments, and he faces a growing list of alleged falsifications and alleged financial misconduct that he has yet to admit or deny.

“His lie was not just a fabrication,” Cairo continued. “He has dishonored the House of Representatives. In particular, his fabrications went too far, many groups suffered – in particular, I look at those families that were touched by the horrors of the Holocaust. (Santos also allegedly lied about his grandparents being Holocaust survivors.)

Cairo went on to call for the “immediate resignation” of Santos, saying the disgraced congressman was not welcome at GOP headquarters in Nassau County.

“He has no place on the Nassau County Republican Committee and should not serve in the public service or as an elected official,” Cairo said. “He is not welcomed here at Republic Headquarters, at meetings or any other occasion… we do not consider him one of our congressmen. Today, on behalf of the Nassau County Republican Committee, I call for his immediate resignation. ”

This is reported by NBC New York correspondent Greg Sergol.

Republican funders say Santos “fooled” them; Democrats have already filed ethics complaints against him, and a campaign finance monitor has also filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over fundraising irregularities.

Hempstead City Manager Donald X. Clavin Jr. said Santos had united the country in their opposition to him.

“He is a national joke. He’s an international joke, but this joke has to go,” Klavin said.

Following a press conference by Nassau County GOP leaders, the New York State Conservative Party also issued a statement calling for Santos to resign.

“The New York State Conservative Party supports Nassau County Republicans in calling on newly elected Rep. George Santos to step down. Mr. Santos’s profound use of untruth as a candidate morally disqualifies him from holding public office and exposes him to potential lawsuits, seriously undermining his ability to represent his constituents,” the statement said.

Rep. Nick Langworthy, chairman of the state Republican Party, also issued a statement urging Santos to step down.

Santos called the falsification of his official campaign biography a mere embellishment. But questions about his veracity only grew like a snowball. The freshman congressman’s lies include not only details of his education and work experience, but also his criminal past in Brazil, his non-profit philanthropy, and that he is Jewish.

If Santos resigned, Governor Kathy Hochul would have 10 days to call a snap election to replace him, which would have been held between 70 and 80 days from the date of this proclamation.