Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who has come under scrutiny for fabricating parts of his resume and spreading acknowledged falsehoods, filed paperwork on Tuesday signaling his intention to run for re-election.
Santos filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, which had set Tuesday as a deadline for Santos to formally declare his candidacy or “disavow” fundraising activities. The statement of candidacy does not bind Santos into running for re-election but allows him to keep fundraising and spending campaign expenses.
The freshman lawmaker, who represents parts of Long Island and Queens, was part of a group of New York Republicans who helped their party take control of the House in last year's midterm elections. But media reports soon suggested that Santos had lied about much of his resume, including claims that he owned multiple properties, had worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and had graduated from Baruch College.
Santos' campaign team said in response to NBC News' request for comment that it had filed a statement of his candidacy as required by the FEC and would offer no further remarks Tuesday.
In the wake of a New York Times investigation into Santos' background, many of his constituents and fellow lawmakers have called on him to resign from his position, though he has so far refused.
He has faced a series of scandals in recent months, including claims that he stole thousands of dollars raised for lifesaving surgery for a veteran's service dog, lied that his mother was at the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks, and failed to file accurate and timely financial disclosures. Most recently, Santos was accused of being the mastermind behind a credit card skimming scheme — charges he has vehemently denied.
Earlier this month, the House Ethics Committee began investigating Santos, whose finances have been the subject of multiple law enforcement probes, including by the FBI, the Nassau County district attorney’s office and the New York attorney general’s office, which has said it is “looking into a number of issues” tied to the lawmaker but did not confirm an investigation.
Santos has acknowledged having fabricated some aspects of his background, including his education and work experience, but he has pushed back on accusations of any criminal wrongdoing. He has repeatedly said that his campaign finances, including loans of hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money, were legitimate. When Santos first ran for Congress in 2020, he claimed on a campaign finance form that he previously made $55,000 a year.