Republican Rep. George Santos has received more than $100,000 in campaign financing gifts from donors with Chinese surnames.
The huge deposit came in just three days between May 20 and May 22, The Daily Beast reported.
Almost all of those donors gave a maximum of $3,300, contributing a total of $101,861, and 26 of them had never given to Santos before, 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 gave money to the scandal-plagued congressman because he supported Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui.
Republican Rep. Jorge Santos has received more than $100,000 in campaign financing gifts from donors with Chinese surnames.
A donor says they gave money to a scandal-hit congressman because he supported Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui (pictured)
Steve Bannon aide Guo indicted in $1 billion fraud conspiracy.
Prosecutors claimed the financier fleeced investors with false offers and used the money to buy extravagant products 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’s working in a direction that I believe will benefit the United States and the world,’ the donor told The Daily Beast, speaking on condition of anonymity.
‘So when he asked to chip in, I chipped in,’ he said.
‘I support him because he is not a talker, he has done what he promised. He said he’d propose a #FreeMilesGuo bill, he actually did it’ the Beast reported.
The Long Island liar publicly offered his support for Guo after his arrest in March.
He has sponsored eleven bills targeting the Chinese Communist Party, including one introduced specifically to support Guo.
Steve Bannon aide Guo indicted in $1 billion fraud conspiracy
Santos is now awaiting trial after being arrested in May on 13 charges, including wire fraud and theft of public funds.
When contacted about the donation, Santos told The Daily Beast, ‘When you see a bunch of donations. [sic] To a similar extent it is safe to assume that this is a fundraiser that occurred.’
Adding: ‘That’s the extent of my comments to you.’
Brendan Fisher, a campaign finance legal expert, told The Daily Beast that the cluster of names and dates suggests a concerted fundraiser.
‘It certainly seems like there was some sort of organized fundraising effort for Santos,’ he said.
Fisher noted that a large amount of that money went to pay off Santos’ personal debts.
Another campaign finance expert, Brett Capel, told the publication, ‘This filing will raise red flags with the lawyers handling the Santos investigation in the Eastern District of New York.’
Santos is currently under federal investigation for his campaign financing.
The scandal-hit GOP representative is accused of lying about his resume, career and background during the campaign that brought him to public office.
Santos is now awaiting trial after being arrested in May on 13 charges, including wire fraud and theft of public funds.
Santos has been involved in a number of problematic — and illegal — acts since his 2022 campaign for Congress. But the lies came to light after he was elected as the new congressman for New York’s 3rd Congressional District.
Although the New York case against him is ongoing, Santos faces an ethics investigation in Congress.
Prosecutors claim Guo defrauded investors with false offers and used the proceeds to buy additional products and assets for himself and his family.
Scandal-ridden GOP Reps. He is accused of lying about his resume, career and background during the campaign that landed him in public office
After the charges were laid in New York in May, the House Ethics Committee voted to expand the jurisdiction of the investigation to include allegations against Santos in the New York case alleging that he fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits.
The indictment against Santos claims he applied for unemployment benefits in New York under fraudulent pretenses because he was earning $120,000 a year from a Florida investment firm.
The indictment also states that he spent tens of thousands of dollars that were donated to his congressional campaign on personal expenses such as his car payments and designer items, and lied to Congress on financial disclosure forms.
He lied about his educational background and work history, as well as claimed that his mother died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
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