Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against Representative George Santos (R., N.Y.), who has admitted to fabricating large swaths of his resume and background.
Three sources familiar with the matter told CNN that Santos, who is running for re-election, is expected to appear in federal court in New York as soon as Wednesday. Several networks confirmed the news, citing their own sources. The exact charges, which are still under seal, are not yet known. However, the FBI and the Justice Department have been examining allegations of false statements in Santos’s campaign finance filings and other claims.
The federal probe is separate from that of the House Ethics Committee. At the beginning of March, a subcommittee was empaneled to investigate the freshman representative. According to the committee, the panel will determine if Santos “engaged in unlawful activity with respect to his 2022 congressional campaign; failed to properly disclose required information on statements filed with the House; violated federal conflict of interest laws in connection with his role in a firm providing fiduciary services; and/or engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual seeking employment in his congressional office.”
Santos has faced calls to resign from many corners. A number of Republicans — including fellow representatives from New York — have joined Democrats in calling for Santos to step down. So have many of Santos’s constituents and the influential Nassau County GOP.
While Santos voluntarily stepped down from his committee assignments, he has defiantly remained in office. The re-election paperwork he filed in March allows him to use campaign funds for legal fees tied to “any investigation related to [his] status as an officeholder or candidate.”
Santos’s lies vary from small to large. He has fabricated resume items like his supposed employment at two Wall Street firms as well as his college education. He has also allegedly swindled a disabled veteran and separately, an Amish dog breeder. Additionally, statements about his mother have been called into question.
House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) has maintained that the House would only take action against Santos if the Ethics Committee found cause. Asked on Tuesday to respond to the new development, McCarthy said he would “look at the charges.”