George Santos charged with defrauding campaign donors

[welshdean]

We have a comedy character in an adult comic Viz in the UK that reminds me of Santos

Aldridge Prior - The hopeless liar

 

[Stacyhs]

We have a comedy character in an adult comic Viz in the UK that reminds me of Santos

Aldridge Prior - The hopeless liar

We have a comedy character that's a pathological liar, too. Only he was elected President in 2016. Oh...and in 2020!

 

[Chris_Halkides]

still following the money

Vox reported, "But most importantly, we don’t know where Santos’s money comes from. The Representative-elect loaned his own campaign $700,000 during the 2022 cycle and claimed an income of $750,000. He also listed millions of dollars in assets including an apartment in Rio De Janeiro worth up to $1 million and a seven-figure savings account. It’s a major shift in fortune for someone who was evicted twice, in 2015 and 2017, for failing to pay rent and had been taken to court for not paying debts. Even in 2020, he reported income in only one category — compensation in excess of $5,000 paid by one source — with no other assets." hmm...

George Santos has sometimes called himself George Devolder and Anthony Devolder. It has been alleged that he stole from his roommates, including at least one scarf and one shirt (this may have been before he learned about Ross Dress for Less, a discount clothing store, near his Florida office). Yet the $700,000 question is where did the $700,000 come from. I don't know, but I thought that this CBS story was interesting.

"A controversial donor, who along with his apparent domestic partner gave a combined $34,500 to Santos, is Andrew Intrater, the CEO of a company which once had ties to a sanctioned Russian oligarch Intrater is the CEO of Sparrow Capital — an investment firm formerly known as Columbus Nova...Santos claimed to have earned $750,000 in annual salary for the period between January 2021 and December 2022, as well as millions in dividends from his company, Devolder Organization LLC."

 

[Darat]

We have a comedy reality TV character that's a pathological liar, too. Only he was elected President in 2016. Oh...and in 2020!

FTFY - he isn't a comedy character!

 

[smartcooky]

... and still following the money... to Russia?

George Santos has sometimes called himself George Devolder and Anthony Devolder. It has been alleged that he stole from his roommates, including at least one scarf and one shirt (this may have been before he learned about Ross Dress for Less, a discount clothing store, near his Florida office). Yet the $700,000 question is where did the $700,000 come from. I don't know, but I thought that this CBS story was interesting.

"A controversial donor, who along with his apparent domestic partner gave a combined $34,500 to Santos, is Andrew Intrater, the CEO of a company which once had ties to a sanctioned Russian oligarch Intrater is the CEO of Sparrow Capital — an investment firm formerly known as Columbus Nova...Santos claimed to have earned $750,000 in annual salary for the period between January 2021 and December 2022, as well as millions in dividends from his company, Devolder Organization LLC."

https://www.thedailybeast.com/georg...onship-with-russian-money-man-andrew-intrater

It seems Santos has had considerable business and political ties to Andrew Intrater, an American based cousin of Russian billionaire oligarch Viktor Vekeselberg, who has close links with Putin and former president Medvedev. The US government charges that Vekselberg is a Putin lapdog, and a key player in Russia’s technology sector through his holding company Renova. Meanwhile, Intrater is a big Republican donor who has not just donated thousands of dollars to Santos' campaigns in 2020 and 2022, but also poured money it into a business that the SEC branded a 'Ponzi scheme.

Corrupt, lying, shady businessman turned Republican political candidate gets money from Russia. Sounds awfully familiar

 

[Trebuchet]

I'd been wondering if the money came from Bolsonaro, but Russia sounds more likely.

 

[Norman Alexander]

My only question is why would smart Russian oligarchs invest so heavily in such an outright idiot and loser as Santos to get him into Congress? For the lulz?

 

[Stacyhs]

FTFY - he isn't a comedy character!

I beg to differ! He's made me laugh on many an occasion! Including this one:

 

[Ladewig]

MUST
SCRUB
BRAIN

That's my impression. Useful idiot. I am going to imagine that they will keep him away from committees and any important meetings, in order to prevent him blabbing stuff inadvertently out loud amongst his fantasy life movie. Just make him sit out in the corridor or something. Go play with himself in the break room.

Why would they need him to not blab party secrets.

Reporter “Rep. Santos said that the party will give a Lear jet to the senator that raises the most dark money. Do you have any comment?”
GOP Chairman: “Oh. Did he say that before or after he claimed to have built the Apollo lunar module? Does anyone have any reality-based questions?”

 

[Ladewig]

My only question is why would smart Russian oligarchs invest so heavily in such an outright idiot and loser as Santos to get him into Congress? For the lulz?

A distraction?

If a Republican scandal is about to break, his handlers could give him a call and tell him to claim that he won the last four Superbowls, that he coined the word Super Bowl, and that he invented the number 7. That would be a major story that would take airtime away from whatever negative story was about to break.

 

[Norman Alexander]

A distraction?

If a Republican scandal is about to break, his handlers could give him a call and tell him to claim that he won the last four Superbowls, that he coined the word Super Bowl, and that he invented the number 7. That would be a major story that would take airtime away from whatever negative story was about to break.

Aren't Gaetz, EmptyG and Boebert supposed to be running interference? Or is their brands of lunacy now too "GOP-mainstream" to be effective?

 

[azazal]

When does Santos peel off the mask to reveal that he's really Sacha Baron Cohen?

 

[welshdean]

When does Santos peel off the mask to reveal that he's really Sacha Baron Cohen?

And Sacha says, 'I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for them pesky kids.'

 

[gnome]

My only question is why would smart Russian oligarchs invest so heavily in such an outright idiot and loser as Santos to get him into Congress? For the lulz?

Because when he steps out of line to promote their interests, it can be passed of as "he's just crazy, look at his record".

 

[Suddenly]

It's gonna turn out he's really D.B. Cooper Jr. and this will all make sense.

 

[Segnosaur]

Why would russians want to get Santos elected?

A distraction?

If a Republican scandal is about to break, his handlers could give him a call and tell him to claim that he won the last four Superbowls, that he coined the word Super Bowl, and that he invented the number 7. That would be a major story that would take airtime away from whatever negative story was about to break.

Aren't Gaetz, EmptyG and Boebert supposed to be running interference? Or is their brands of lunacy now too "GOP-mainstream" to be effective?

Either they have become too mainstream, or the Russians don't have enough direct control over them. (They know Gaetz, EmptyG, etc. will be doing dumb things, but they may be doing them on their own schedule, not when the Russians specifically want a distraction.)

Either way, I'm sure to the Russians that having more distractions is better.

 

[Segnosaur]

More and more Santos is looking like a Mini-Trump....

- Past issues with financial fraud in his personal life
- Shady record of personal business practices
- Uses rather obvious lies and does so frequently
- Engaged in Racism
- Pushes claims of 'voter fraud' (not only for Trump but in his own political career)
- Campaign finance issues
- Ties to Russia

It sounds to me like Trump has finally found his running mate for 2024!

 

[Chris_Halkides]

a congressional bill

"First, last week, I joined with my colleague and friend Rep. Dan Goldman, of New York's 10th Congressional District, to file an official complaint against Santos with the House Ethics Committee, asking for an investigation into probable violations of both House ethics and campaign finance law. Goldman and I also introduced the “Stopping Another Non-Truthful Office Seeker” — or SANTOS — Act, which aims to require candidates for federal office to tell the truth under oath about their education, military service and employment history. If signed into law, a fraud like Santos could be fined or imprisoned for lying to the public about his qualifications." Link

 

[Suddenly]

My only question is why would smart Russian oligarchs invest so heavily in such an outright idiot and loser as Santos to get him into Congress? For the lulz?

He's a vote and influence. Very reachable and already proven to have no moral compass.

Plus anything that discredits the US political system is a win. This is pretty embarrassing.

 

[Ladewig]

He's a vote and influence. Very reachable and already proven to have no moral compass.

Plus anything that discredits the US political system is a win. This is pretty embarrassing.

Plus, he’s not only generating divisiveness between Dems and Reps, he’s also generating divisiveness among Republicans.

The part I don’t understand is why there isn’t a group of Republicans claiming that his claim are true: he was a great volleyball player and he did graduate from that college. They could claim that the lyin’ Democrats are lyin’ because that what liars do.