A staffer from George Santos’ campaign posed as a top aide to House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy to raise campaign funds — and kept up the front over the course of two campaign cycles, according to a complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission Wednesday.
The complaint, filed by the liberal political action committee End Citizens United, alleges McCarthy’s office was aware since 2021 the campaign staffer was impersonating the then-minority leader’s chief of staff.
The new complaint is the latest sign of trouble for the freshman Republican from New York, who has stepped down from his committee assignments but has doubled down on his refusal to leave Congress despite calls for his resignation.
It is the third complaint End Citizens United filed with the FEC related to Santos’ finances. Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., and the Campaign Legal Center also requested investigations from the FEC into his campaign funds. Those two are not related to the latest complaint.
End Citizens United, a political action committee that focuses on money in politics, filed the complaint on Wednesday.
The group aims to reverse the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision that determined free speech applies to corporations and allows them to give unlimited political contributions to candidates.
End Citizens United filed an additional complaint last month with the FEC that alleged Santos used a shell corporation to fund more than $700,000 in loans that he gave to his campaign.
The committee previously filed complaints against Santos with the Department of Justice and Office of Congressional Ethics.