FEC wants answers on Rep. Santos’ chaotic treasurer switch
NEW YORK (AP) — Rep. George Santos’ marketing campaign committee is dealing with new questions from federal regulators after submitting paperwork itemizing a brand new treasurer who says he by no means took the job.
The Federal Election Fee despatched a letter Thursday to the Devolder Santos for Congress marketing campaign searching for readability on the change. It’s the newest scrutiny for the New York congressman who has been caught fabricating many parts of his life story.
The letter stated the first-year Republican’s marketing campaign “could have failed to incorporate the true, right, or full treasurer info” on paperwork Wednesday itemizing Thomas Datwyler as its new treasurer and custodian of information.
5 different political fundraising committees linked to Santos acquired the identical letters after they, too, filed paperwork Wednesday itemizing Datwyler as their new treasurer.
The marketing campaign and committees have till March 2 to reply. In the event that they fail to take action, paperwork itemizing Datwyler as treasurer will probably be positioned within the “unverified” part of the FEC’s web site and the committees might face further enforcement motion.
If Santos’ marketing campaign is discovered to have knowingly and willfully made any “materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent assertion or illustration” on its paperwork, it might doubtlessly face felony costs, the FEC’s letter stated.
A message searching for remark was left with a marketing campaign lawyer.
Devolder Santos for Congress filed a brand new assertion of group on Wednesday itemizing Datwyler as treasurer and custodian of information, changing Nancy Marks, who had held each positions since Santos first ran for Congress in 2020.
The change got here amid lingering questions on irregularities within the committee’s monetary studies and the supply of Santos’ wealth.
Datwyler stated by means of a lawyer, Derek Ross, that he had declined the job and was not conscious that he can be listed as treasurer on the marketing campaign’s filings, which included what it stated was his digital signature, alongside along with his e mail and mailing addresses.
“On Monday we knowledgeable the Santos marketing campaign that Mr. Datwyler wouldn’t be serving as treasurer,” Datwyler’s lawyer, Derek Ross, stated in a press release. “It seems there’s a disconnect between that dialog and the filings (Wednesday) which we didn’t authorize.”
Below federal laws, a marketing campaign committee can’t elevate or spend cash until it has a treasurer. The treasurer collects all contributions — and solely the treasurer, or an individual designated by the treasurer, can approve marketing campaign bills.
___
Observe Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak and ship confidential ideas by visiting https://www.ap.org/ideas/.
