George Santos will be removed from Congress if he broke campaign finance laws, Comer says
Cami Mondeaux
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Republican leaders will remove Rep. George Santos (R-NY) from Congress if the freshman lawmaker is found guilty of violating campaign finance laws, according to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY).
Santos faces a slew of investigations into his finances after a number of unusual expenses were discovered on his campaign filings for the midterm cycle, prompting some Democrats to file a complaint to the House Ethics Committee. However, the freshman lawmaker has maintained that he has not committed any wrongdoing.
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“He’s a bad guy,” Comer told CNN on Sunday. “It’s not up to me or any other member of Congress to determine whether he can be kicked out for lying. Now, if he broke campaign finance laws, then he will be removed from Congress.”
In one instance, Santos’s campaign paid nearly $11,000 to a company named Cleaner 123 and listed the expenditures as “apartment rental for staff,” according to campaign filings obtained and reviewed by the New York Times. The address on the form belongs to a suburban house located in Long Island.
However, one neighbor said Santos himself was living at the home during that time period, with two others telling the outlet they had seen the congressman and his significant other frequently coming and going from the residence. If found to be true, Santos could be guilty of violating finance rules that prohibit candidates from using campaign funds for personal expenses.
Additionally, there were more than 800 expenses the campaign listed as costing $199.99, putting it exactly one cent below the threshold that federal law requires candidates to provide receipts. Several of these payments were listed as being used for office supplies, Uber charges, and restaurants, among other things.
Several Democrats, and even a handful of Republicans, have denounced Santos for this conduct, as well as for admitting to fabricating several details about his professional background while running for office. A group of New York Republicans urged Santos to step down during a press conference last week, joining their Democratic counterparts who have hurled criticisms at the freshman lawmaker since last month.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has refused to take action against Santos, noting it would be up to the Ethics Committee to decide his fate.
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Meanwhile, Santos has remained adamant he has no plans to step down and even indicated he plans to run for reelection come 2024.
“I wish well of all of their opinions, but I was elected by 142,000 people,” Santos said on the podcast War Room to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who filled in for Steve Bannon as host on Thursday. “Until those same 142,000 people tell me they don’t want me — we’ll find out in two years.”