Washington D.C. – Just prior to the vote to expel George Santos from Congress, a colleague, Republican congressman Max Miller, accused him of committing fraud against himself and his mother.
In a letter leaked to NBC News, Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, declared that he discovered earlier this year that Santos’ campaign “had charged my personal credit card — and the personal card of my Mother — for contribution amounts that exceeded FEC limits. Neither my Mother nor I approved these charges or were aware of them.”
Following the public revelation of Miller’s claims, the House decisively voted 311-114 to expel Santos.
Miller admitted that due to the situation, he has spent “tens of thousands of dollars” in legal fees. Moreover, he stated that a list of 400 individuals, including other Republican House members, were also believed to have been overcharged by Santos.
Despite requests for comment, Santos’ office did not reply.
Consequently, on Thursday afternoon, heated exchanges occurred between the two men. Miller accused Santos of being a “crook,” to which Santos responded by referencinga 2020 accusation from Miller’s former girlfriend, Stephanie Grisham, who served as White House press secretary under then-President Donald Trump.
Prior to the vote to expel Santos, Miller’s letter emerged. In spite of all House Republican leadership members declaring their support to retain him, an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote led to an end to his time in Congress.
“While I understand and respect those who will vote against the expulsion resolution, my personal experience related to the allegations and findings of the Ethics Committee compels me to vote for the resolution,” Miller wrote.
Santos has been accused by federal prosecutors of widespread fraud against donors and the Republican Party. He has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and is confident that he will be acquitted. Moreover, the House Ethics Committee has also accused him of various scams involving donors and campaign funds.
Santos facesmultiple federal charges, including identity theft, embezzlement of public funds, and money laundering related to campaign contributions. His trial is scheduled to begin in September. Two former Santos campaign workers have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with investigators.
Furthermore, Santos allegedly falsified personal loans to his campaign on mandatory disclosures to qualify for additional RNC funding and illegally used credit card details acquired through his campaign.
For more information, this article was originally published on NBCNews.com
