Republican Rep. George Santos has received more than $100,000 of campaign financing gifts from donors with Chinese surnames.
The sizeable deposits came over the course of just three days, between May 20 and May 22, the Daily Beast reported.
Almost all of those donors, contributing a total $101,861, gave the maximum amount of $3,300, and 26 of them had never given to Santos previously, according to the publication.
For 14 of the donors, it was their first political contribution, according to Federal Election Commission data.
One such donor told the Daily Beast that they had given money to the scandal-hit congressman because of his support for the Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui.
Republican Rep. George Santos has received more than $100,000 of campaign financing gifts from donors with Chinese surnames
One donor said they had given money to the scandal-hit congressman because of his support for the Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui (pictured)
Guo, an associate of Steve Bannon, has been charged in a $1 billion fraud conspiracy.
Prosecutors claim the financier fleeced investors with false offerings and used the proceeds to buy extravagant goods and assets for himself and his family.
These assets allegedly include a 50,000-square-foot mansion, a $3.5 million Ferrari, two $36,000 mattresses and a $37 million luxury yacht.
‘He is working on the direction that I believe will benefit United State of America and the world,’ the unnamed donor told The Daily Beast.
‘So when he asked to chip in, I chip in’ the reportedly said.
‘I support him because he is not a talker, he did what he promised. He said he will propose a #FreeMilesGuo bill, he actually did it’ the Beast reported.
The Long Island liar has publicly offered his support for Guo after his arrest in March.
He has also sponsored eleven bills targeting the Chinese Communist Party, including one specifically introduced to support Guo himself.
Guo, an associate of Steve Bannon, has been charged in a $1 billion fraud conspiracy
Santos is now awaiting trial after he was arrested in May on 13 charges, including wire fraud and theft of public funds
When contacted about the donations Santos told the Daily Beast ‘when you see a cluster of donation [sic] of a similar amount it’s safe to assume it’s a fundraiser that took place.’
Adding: ‘That’s the extent of my comments to you.’
Campaign finance law expert Brendan Fischer told The Daily Beast that the clustered names and dates suggest a coordinated fundraising push.
‘It certainly appears like there was some kind of organized fundraising effort for Santos,’ he said.
Fischer observed that a large amount of that money went to pay down Santos’ personal loans.
Another campaign finance expert, Brett Kappel told the publication ‘This filing would raise red flags with the lawyers running the Santos investigation in the Eastern District of New York.’
Santos is currently under federal investigation over his campaign financing.
The scandal-hit GOP Rep. has been accused of lying about his resume, career and background during the campaign that landed him in public office.
Santos is now awaiting trial after he was arrested in May on 13 charges, including wire fraud and theft of public funds.
Santos has been involved in a slew of problematic – and illegal – behavior since his 2022 campaign for Congress. But the lies were only revealed after he was elected as the new congressman for New York’s 3rd Congressional District.
While the New York case against him continues, Santos is also facing an Ethics investigation in Congress.
Prosecutors claim Guo fleeced investors with false offerings and used the proceeds to but extravagant goods and assets for himself and his family
The scandal-hit GOP Rep . has been accused of lying about his resume, career and background during the campaign that landed him in public office
Following the indictment levied in New York in May, the House Ethics Committee voted to expand the jurisdiction of the probe to include charges noted in New York’s case against Santos alleging he fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits.
Allegations against Santos in the indictment claim he applied for unemployment benefits in New York under fraudulent pretenses because he was making $120,000 per year from an investment firm in Florida.
The indictment also notes him spending tens of thousands of dollars that were donated to his congressional campaign on personal expenses like his car payment and designer items, and lying to Congress on financial disclosure forms.
He lied about his education background and work history, as well as claiming that his mother died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
