House Ethics Committee Finds 'Substantial Evidence' of Wrongdoing by George Santos, Says He 'Can't Be Trusted'

The committee claims to have evidence of "uncharged and unlawful conduct" by the indicted Republican, even alleging he paid for Botox and OnlyFans with campaign funds

The House Ethics Committee investigating New York Rep. George Santos said on Thursday that it found "substantial evidence" of wrongdoing by the freshman congressman, including that he knowingly committed fraud and used campaign funds for his own personal purposes.

Following the release of the report, Santos, 35, announced that he would no longer seek reelection in 2024.

House Ethics revealed on Thursday morning that the subcommittee investigating Santos "unanimously concluded that there was substantial evidence" that he: "knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission; used campaign funds for personal purposes; engaged in fraudulent conduct ... and engaged in knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act as it relates to his Financial Disclosure (FD) Statements filed with the House."

The first line of the committee's report makes clear that its findings are damning, stating, "Representative George Santos cannot be trusted. At nearly every opportunity, he placed his desire for private gain above his duty to uphold the Constitution, federal law, and ethical principles."

Related: Freshman Rep. George Santos Will Not Seek Reelection Following Release of Bombshell House Ethics Report

The report is released amid an ongoing criminal investigation into Santos, though the committee says it has evidence of "additional uncharged and unlawful conduct" by the Republican, which it recommends referring to the Department of Justice.

On Wednesday, chairman Michael Guest said the committee would not directly recommend any punishment for Santos, and would instead release a report summarizing its monthslong probe into Santos and allow lawmakers to come to their own conclusions.

Guest added that recommending sanctions against Santos “would have taken several more months," and that he expects there will be a subsequent expulsion effort following the release of the report.

Below, the most shocking allegations in the committee’s report.

Related: House Votes Against Expelling Rep. George Santos Following Federal Criminal Charges

Santos 'blatantly stole' from his own campaign — to pay for Botox, Sephora and OnlyFans

The committee's report alleges that Santos "deceived donors into providing what they thought were contributions to his campaign but were in fact payments for his personal benefit." According to the committee, he did that by reporting fictitious loans to his political committees in order to "induce donors and party committees to make further contributions to his campaign — and then diverted more campaign money to himself as purported 'repayments' of those fictitious loans."

The report details how many of Santos' campaign expenditures appear unrelated to campaign matters, like a $1,500 purchase made in 2020, on the campaign debit card, at a medical spa and noted as "Botox" in expense reports. Two other charges on the campaign debit card — one for $1,400 and one for $1,029.30 — also appear to have gone toward Botox.

Elsewhere in the report, the committee details how a $50,000 campaign donation was deposited into Santos’ personal accounts, with the funds then being used to "pay down personal credit card bills and other debt; make a $4,127.80 purchase at Hermes; and for smaller purchases at OnlyFans; Sephora; and for meals and for parking."

Santos boasted about having access to a family trust, but was actually 'frequently in debt' with 'an abysmal credit score'

While witnesses told the committee that Santos would often "boast of significant wealth and claim to have access to a 'trust' managed by a 'family firm,'" he was actually mired in debt, the committee claims.

From the report: "In contrast, Representative Santos was frequently in debt, had an abysmal credit score, and relied on an ever-growing wallet of high-interest credit cards to fund his luxury spending habits. He occasionally deposited large amounts of cash that he has never accounted for, moved money between his various bank accounts in a highly suspicious manner, and made over $240,000 cash withdrawals for unknown purposes."

The report also details how Santos told campaign staffers he drove a luxury vehicle despite that he did not: "At no point does Representative Santos appear to have owned a Maserati, despite telling campaign staff otherwise."

Santos was a 'knowing and active participant' in the fraud

While Santos has denied any wrongdoing, those in his orbit have in recent weeks admitted to participating in fraud (two former staffers with his campaign, for instance, have pleaded guilty to criminal charges in recent months). According to the committee, Santos was in on the scheme.

"Despite his attempts to blame others for much of the misconduct," the report alleges, "Representative Santos was a knowing and active participant in the wrongdoing."

The report further says Santos' "lack of candor" during the investigation was "particularly troubling," and that he was provided the opportunity to submit a signed written statement responding to the allegations raised in a complaint filed by his fellow lawmakers. "He did not do so," the report says.

From the report: "Representative Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit."

The committee alleges that, in addition to lying in order to secure campaign donations, the Republican used his connections to high value donors "to obtain additional funds for himself through fraudulent or otherwise questionable business dealings."

What to Know About George Santos

Much of the initial controversy surrounding Santos stemmed from a sprawling New York Times report published shortly after his election, which found that a large portion of his biography could not be substantiated.

And while allegations that he had dramatically embellished his resume and misled voters about his heritage were the original points of concern, other questions were raised about his finances and campaign disclosures.

Related: George Santos Is Under Investigation by House Ethics Committee, Speaker McCarthy Confirms

Within weeks, the bombshell allegations had not only sparked bipartisan backlash, but prompted investigations by the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, Nassau County District Attorney's Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In May, Santos was arrested and indicted on 13 criminal counts alleging fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making false statements; in October, prosecutors announced they had added 10 new charges to the indictment, bringing the total number of criminal counts against him to 23.

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A recent effort to expel Santos from Congress, led by New York Republicans, failed in the House, though as Guest suggested, more efforts could soon be underway.

Santos has so far refused to resign from Congress, but ended his 2024 reelection campaign on Thursday.

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