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George Santos Gave $25K to Zeldin Campaign—Then Paid Himself Back: Report

The congressman-elect’s campaign donors effectively paid for the Zeldin boost, a campaign finance expert claims.

Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY) used a series of campaign financing moves to make a $25,000 donation to Rep. Lee Zeldin’s (R-NY) failed campaign for New York governor, effectively using his own supporters to fund the donation to Zeldin, according to a report. The New York Daily News says records show that Santos made a loan of $25,000 in 2021 to his political action committee, which in turn made the donation to Zeldin, with the PAC then repaying the money to Santos months later using cash from supporters to his own congressional campaign. There is no suggestion that the move was illegal. “As with everything with Santos, while maybe not illegal, it’s extremely strange and leaves you scratching your head and wondering, ‘What’s going on here?’” said Robert Maguire, a campaign finance expert with the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics. Santos is set to officially assume office Tuesday despite a slew of bombshell reports alleging that the Republican lied to voters about his work, educational, and family history, including that his mother died from the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.