The embattled US Rep. George Santos (R-NY) filed paperwork on Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission, a move widely viewed as an indication he intends run for reelection in 2024.
Santos, however, is embroiled in scandal and is facing multiple investigations for false claims he made while running for office in the previous election cycle, as well as for possible campaign finance violations.
Santos' financial woes include a mysterious, untraceable loan of $705,000 that the congressman made towards his own campaign and a personal financial disclosure in 2020 that included no assets and a salary of $55,000.
Last month, the FEC sent a letter to Santos asking whether the New York lawmaker planned to run for reelection after his campaign reported nearly $28,000 in contributions and almost $43,000 in expenses following the November election. If a candidate receives or spends more than $5,000 for an election they must declare their candidacy.
The House Ethics Committee, and several state and federal investigators, are investigating the freshman lawmaker, who admitted to lying on his resume which included his false employment history, education, and even his religion.
Santos has remained adamant about not stepping down from his post.
“Let me be very clear, I’m not leaving, I’m not hiding and I am NOT backing down,” tweeted Santos in early February. “I will continue to work for #NY03 and no amount of Twitter trolling will stop me. I’m looking forward to getting what needs to be done, DONE!”
Last week, when asked if he would consider running for reelection, Santos responded with a “maybe” despite a poll in late January revealing that almost half of registered New York Republicans think he should resign from his position.
“Right now, my sole focus is on the legislation that we’re gonna be rolling out, a series of legislation throughout the next couple of weeks,” added the congressman.