The recent developments surrounding U.S. Rep. George Santos have raised significant concerns and generated controversy. According to the House Ethics Committee’s report, the dishonest, gay Republican is alleged to have misused campaign funds for personal expenses, including spending on the OnlyFans pornography subscription service, luxury items, and other personal indulgences. These expenditures have led to accusations that he used campaign donations for purposes unrelated to his political endeavors, betraying the trust of his donors.
The report reveals details of Santos’s extravagant spending patterns, which include substantial expenditures at luxury retailers like Ferragamo and Hermes amounting to approximately $10,000. Additionally, there were expenses of around $2,280 associated with visits to Atlantic City casinos and roughly $2,900 allocated for Botox treatments. Of particular concern are the payments made to OnlyFans, a pornography subscription service, which raises serious questions about the proper and legitimate use of campaign funds.
California Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia has been vocal in highlighting the seriousness of these allegations, underscoring the extent of Santos’s spending habits, which include purchases at high-end retailers, casino visits, and Botox treatments. The report also suggests that Santos’s post-election spending spree was funded by his congressional campaign without proper disclosure to donors or the Federal Election Commission.
“[Santos] created his own personal fund to buy everything from going to Sephora to, quite frankly, pornography, to going on these vast shopping sprees, paying this checking account and all of this using funds,” Garcia said, exasperated.
In response to the Ethics Committee’s findings, Santos announced that he would not seek reelection in 2024, citing the pressure faced by his family. He expressed frustration with the media and reporters seeking to contact him, indicating that he was done communicating and wished to focus on his family.
On X, formerly Twitter, Santos wrote, “I won’t be seeking a second term in 2024 as my family deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time.”
Santos is currently facing 23 federal felony charges, including wire fraud and identity theft, to which he has pleaded not guilty. The Ethics Committee has referred its findings to the Department of Justice, potentially leading to further legal implications.
Rep. Garcia has been advocating for Santos’s expulsion from Congress, and he believes that there is growing bipartisan support for this action. A vote on Santos’s future in Congress is expected when lawmakers return to Capitol Hill after the Thanksgiving break on November 28.
