George Santos Used New Campaign Cash to Pay Himself Back
The recent contributions to Mr. Santos — $133,078.85 to his campaign and $16,600 from two donors to an affiliated committee, Devolder Santos Victory Committee — came from an unorthodox mix of donors that is almost certain to be scrutinized by federal prosecutors and the House Ethics Committee.
They included a part-time cashier from Georgia, students from Pennsylvania and California, a masseuse from Texas and a member of a stage crew from New York, who all gave at least $3,300 each. Few appeared to have a history of donating large sums to politicians.
The Times reached out to more than 40 donors listed on Mr. Santos’s filing. Many had Chinese or other Asian surnames. At least two said they were moved to contribute the legal maximum amount based on the congressman’s vows — in fund-raising appeals on Twitter and speeches on the House floor — to fight the Chinese Communist Party.
“I see him want to take down C.C.P.,” said Xuehong Zhang of Plano, Texas, who identified herself as a Chinese immigrant and masseuse. “I just want to take down C.C.P.”
Mr. Santos has repeatedly linked fund-raising appeals to his opposition to the Chinese Communist Party, as well as his support for Guo Wengui, the exiled and indicted Chinese billionaire who has found an ally in Steve Bannon and has a global legion of followers.
Michael Sommer, a 29-year-old teacher in Atlanta, said he spent $32.95 on a Santos for Congress T-shirt “for a joke.”
Another contributor, Brad Mason of Pittsburgh, donated $1. “I thought it would be really funny to request the refund,” he said “And it was amazing for me.”
Source: The New York Times
