The George Santos indictment looks like a 'trial run' to nail Trump for fraud: analysis

The indictment of Rep, George Santos (R-NY) on charges wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress by the Department of Justice could be a preview of similar charges being levied against Donald Trump.

That is the opinion of former Homeland Security Department official Paul Rosenzweig who claimed that looking at the allegation made in the indictment could also be applied to the former president who is being investigated by special counsel Jack Smith for similar crimes following his 2020 presidential election loss.

Writing for the Bulwark, the attorney said that while Trump did not attempt to personally profit off of donations from supporters, many of the other accusations lodged against the controversial freshman House Republican lawmaker also apply against Trump.

"This time it is a crime with larger political implications, not because of Santos, but because of how his alleged crimes mimic Trump and those around him," he argued. "In 2019, a New York judge ordered Trump to pay $2 million because money Trump raised supposedly for veterans actually went to his presidential campaign."

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Rosenzweig added that "special Counsel Jack Smith is said to be gathering evidence about whether or not Trump’s team solicited donations with false claims of election fraud. The idea is that Trump lost the 2020 election and that he knew he had lost. At least two outside consulting firms hired by the Trump team investigated those claims and reported to the Trump team that his claims of election fraud were not supported by any evidence."

Elaborating on that point, he continued, "It appears, however, that notwithstanding their knowledge that the election was lost fair and square, Trump’s Save America PAC solicited and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from donors via email solicitations that claimed the election had been stolen. In much the same way that Santos’s lies soliciting funds came to form the basis of charges against him, one can readily imagine that emails sent out to small-dollar donors saying, in effect, 'send us $25 so we can prove that Trump won the election' would likewise be subject to potential fraud charges if those who crafted them or who directed that they be sent knew that it would not be possible to prove the election claims."

Admitting that there are key differences in the case made against Santos and what Trump and his confederates appear to have done, Rosensweig claimed elements of the indictment would likely apply to Trump should Smith move forward with his own indictment.

"The charges against Santos, like those against [Steve] Bannon, are a template for potential charges involving the Trump campaign. While personal profit is a robust motivation, so is maintaining the narcissistic fiction of a stolen election. Whatever the motivation, it is a crime to lie to those from whom you solicit money," he asserted. "Bannon was pardoned by Trump for that crime. Santos faces criminal charges. Both are Trumpian fraudsters on a smaller scale. And so, perhaps, the Santos case is a trial run for these types of allegations. If so, Trump may yet face fraud charges as well."

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