Federal prosecutors have filed federal charges, for now under seal, against Rep. George Santos (R-NY), CNN reported Tuesday. Other outlets soon confirmed that Santos had been charged.
The serial fabulist-turned-representative, who is reportedly the subject of multiple investigations, may appear in court in the Eastern District of New York as soon as Wednesday, the reports said. The exact nature of the charges remains unknown.
Santos’ congressional spokesperson and Santos’ attorney did not immediately return a request for comment from TPM. A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment to TPM.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was giving a press conference, detailing his meeting with President Joe Biden on the debt ceiling, when the news broke. “I’ll look at the charges,” McCarthy told reporters.
TPM has documented the way in which Santos’ campaign finance reports contained a surprising number of irregularities — an issue that reportedly attracted the attention of investigators in the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York. Local prosecutors and the New York attorney general’s office have also said they’re looking into issues surrounding Santos.
An Associated Press reporter reached Santos Tuesday and asked him about the charged.
“That’s news to me,” he reportedly said. “You’re the first to call me about this.”
Kaila Philo, Kate Riga and Hunter Walker contributed reporting.
