New filing with FEC leads to more questions about source of Santos campaign donations

News 12 reached out to the congressman's team for an interview, but was told he was not available at the time.

News 12 Staff

Feb 1, 2023, 12:56 PM

Updated 690 days ago

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Rep. George Santos is once again under scrutiny - this time for questions about where some of his campaign loans came from.
In a new filing with the Federal Election Commission, Santos checked off the box marked "personal funds of the candidate" acknowledging that he made a $500,000 loan to his campaign from his personal finances.
It was filed by Santos' new treasurer Andrew Olsen.
Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform for the Campaign Legal Center, says he found several mistakes in the report, including one contribution for $10,000 that he says is more than any one contributor is permitted to give to a campaign.
Olsen filed the report after Santos campaign finance treasurer Nancy Marks submitted a notice with the FEC this week saying, "At the request of the FEC, I am submitting this Form 99 stating that I have resigned as treasurer for the Devolder-Santos for Congress Committee as of January 25, 2023."
The amended year-end filing also revealed that Santos was not the person who provided the campaign with a $125,000 loan, which contradicts previous filings.
"He has gone back and forth on his campaign finance filings on the question of whether it is coming from his personal funds or not," Ghosh says.
News 12 reached out Santos' office and Marks but has not heard back from either.