Federal and local prosecutors in New York are looking into whether Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY) has committed any financial crimes or broken the law when lying about his resume before the November election.
Santos’s various lies have been the center of the news cycle over the past week: The lawmaker-to-be has reportedly fudged details about his employment history, educational background, his mother’s death, and even lied about being Jewish, all while funding some of his congressional campaign with a sudden influx of wealth.
Now federal and local authorities are looking into whether he violated the law. For starters, the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York has opened an inquiry, reportedly focused on his finances. Their spokespeople have refused to elaborate further on what the probe will entail, but sources told ABC News that they’re looking specifically at his publicly available financial data.
The Nassau County, New York district attorney’s office has opened an investigation into the “numerous fabrications and inconsistencies” Santos spread about his background during his 2022 campaign for Congress.
“The residents of Nassau County and other parts of the third district must have an honest and accountable representative in Congress,” Nassau County district attorney Anne Donnelly said. “No one is above the law, and if a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it.”
The New York attorney general’s office has told Axios that they’re also looking into “some of the issues raised about Santos,” but didn’t confirm whether they’ll open an official investigation yet.
Other newly-elected lawmakers have called for Santos to cooperate with the investigations—or just tell the truth of his own volition.
“George Santos owes the people of his district the complete and total truth about his personal and professional background, and a sincere apology for his behavior,” fellow New York congressman-elect Mike Lawler tweeted on Wednesday. “With multiple federal, state, and local investigations seemingly underway, Mr. Santos should cooperate fully, if he is to regain the trust of his constituents and colleagues.”
“As a Navy man who campaigned on restoring accountability and integrity to our government, I believe a full investigation by the House Ethics Committee and, if necessary, law enforcement, is required,” Nick LaLota, another Republican congressman-elect, tweeted on Tuesday.
