On Friday, Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y. issued a filing with the Federal Election Commission to name himself as his own campaign committee treasurer in a move that's raising eyebrows in relation to his already questionable methods.
Prior to Santos' latest maneuver to publicly play double-duty by stepping into this role, there has been question as to whether or not he'd already done that in a roundabout way. Earlier this year, he'd listed a man named Andrew Olson as treasurer but, according to CNN and several other sources, no one knows who that is and there's been considerable doubt if he actually exists.
Per CNN's reporting, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington watchdog group issued a complaint with the FEC questioning if Olson was a real person, or a fake name being used by Santos — or someone on his team. It's been noted that the address listed for this possible pseud traces back to a building recently occupied by Santos' sister and that the personal email attached to him is still in use by Santos himself.
On May 10, CREW published a statement on their questioning of the validity of "Andrew Olson," detailing the following:
"There is reason to believe that Rep. George Santos's treasurer does not exist and that Santos's committees are violating the law by raising and spending money without a treasurer, according to a complaint filed today by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington with the FEC.
Andrew Olson, Santos's listed treasurer, is not and has not been identified as a treasurer to any political committee outside of those connected to Santos. No one asked about it appears to know Olson, including those knowledgeable of political committee treasurers and New York Republican politics. His listed address on the FEC forms is the former address of Santos's sister. He has not responded to any attempts to contact him through the means provided in the FEC filings.
CREW requested that the FEC investigate further as Santos is currently embroiled in a 13-count criminal indictment for fraud and fabricating his personal finances.
Per the matter of Santos acting as his own treasurer, CNN highlights that "candidates legally can serve as the treasurers of their own campaigns, but it is rare for them to do so."
After months of suspicions, and now a federal indictment, George Santos removes his mysterious treasurer “Andrew Olson” (whom no one was ever able to confirm existed) and signs his campaign filing as his own treasurer (left is old filing, right was just filed today) pic.twitter.com/6rcsOD8pK1
— @robertmaguire.bsky.social (@RobertMaguire_) May 19, 2023
