Thousands of pro-choice activists march in Spain over new abortion restrictions
February 01, 2014
Among Republican Rep. George Santos' litany of lies: The suspicion, raised in an investigation Friday by Mother Jones, that the Republican congressman simply invented some of his campaign donors and passed them off as real in official federal documents.
If so, that's against the law at a time when Santos could be facing a federal investigation over his campaign committee's finances — say nothing of some extreme and related drama involving his treasurer.
Recently, a source sent Raw Story a curious document of a similar ilk. It's a fundraising invitation that Santos circulated last spring while still a congressional candidate. In it, he invites prospective donors to give his campaign money in exchange for some sporty face time.
"I have box seats for the New York Mets game on May 3rd, and I would love to have you join me ... enter now!" Santos' message reads above several suggested contribution amounts ranging up to $1,000. (The contest's fine print notes that, per New York State law, you don't actually have to donate to win.)
A fundraising invitation in early 2022 from now-Rep. George Santos' congressional campaign.George Santos for Congress
We checked Santos' social media accounts to see if he had posted anything about this outing, and lo, he had. There, on his "santos4_congress" Instagram account is a photo of him in a Mets t-shirt flashing a thumbs-up and flanked by a gentleman in a Mets jersey and another in a button-down an khakis.
So we're left to wonder: Who are these two ostensible campaign contributors that Santos' election committee treated to some Major League Baseball after inveigling campaign money from the masses?
Are these unnamed fellows, pictured in an Instagram post from Santos' campaign, really Santos supporters?
A screen shot from the "santos4_congress" Instagram account on May 3, 2022, featuring George Santos (center) and two unnamed men at a New York Mets baseball game.Instagram
Or, are these men just two guys from the next row over who had only met Santos a few moments before this photo, when he asked them to mug for an Insta?
Did they enter Santos' contest and pay money for the privilege of catching a game with a candidate who'd soon become Capitol Hill's most truth-challenged lawmaker?
What do they think of the embattled congressman now? If you know these men, we'd like to hear from you.
If you are these men, we'd like to hear from you, too.
Drop us a confidential line at editor@rawstory.com.
Former President Donald Trump needs to get back on social media because his campaign is having a rough time raising money for his new campaign launch, according to a new report.
NBC News' Jonathan Allen reported that Trump is getting off to a slow start in terms of campaign fundraising. After staying largely quiet since his announcement, Trump finally left Mar-a-Lago for some weekend events. As of this week, Facebook has allowed Trump's campaign back on their platform so that he can fundraise there.
"He's kind of strapped for campaign cash. Mr. Trump raised $9.5 million in the last six weeks of 2022, which is $2 million less than in the six weeks before his launch," MSNBC's Hallie Jackson said.
Trump has hired a new digital firm, which should theoretically increase the digital fundraising efforts as the campaign kicks off.
IN OTHER NEWS: Stormy Daniels takes victory lap after Trump pens tirade about her on Truth Social
"If you look inside these numbers, there are about 300,000 donors he got money from," Allen explained. "99.48% of those are under that $200 limit which means that about 3,000 of his donors are people giving 200 or more. So, he's still got that small-dollar fundraising base. Donald Trump was anxious to announce, super anxious to announce. He wanted to do it as early as July [2022]. He ended up getting convinced not to do it before the midterms then as a result when he got out and announced the campaign right afterward, he's doing so in kind of fundraising doldrums. For all campaigns, they know after an election, it's hard to raise money."
He went on to explain that as a campaign, Trump has seen some "donor fatigue."
"He hits his donors with requests day in and day out and is going to have to get them rejuvenated," said Allen.
See the discussion about the report below or at the link here.
Trump's fundraising woes www.youtube.com
OAN correspondent Caitlin Sinclair faced Rep. George Santos (R-NY) in a tense interview about lies he told to help his 2022 campaign.
During the 13-minute interview, Sinclair pressed Santos about the sincerity of his apology.
"What I might have done during the campaign does not reflect what is being done in the office," the lawmaker explained.
"The American people can pretty much forgive anything, but that starts with a sincere apology normally, a lot of remorse shown," Sinclair said. "The prevailing opinion is you have not yet shown that."
"I don't know what you mean by that," Santos replied.
"Well, you seem angry," the reporter interrupted.
"I'm not angry," Santos insisted.
"Are you sorry?" Sinclair asked.
"I've said I was sorry many times," Santos remarked. "I've behaved as if I'm sorry."
"I don't know what looking sorry looks like to you, Caitlin," he added.
"The prevailing opinion out there right now, from your voters, is that they have not heard a sincere apology from you yet," Sinclair pressed.
"I've made my sincere apology multiple times," Santos said. "I thoroughly apologize for lying about my education and embellishing my resume. I've made that very, very clear."
Santos did not respond to the other lies and questionable behaviors to which he has been connected.
Watch the video below from OAN.
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