Nicholas Fandos at NYT:
In late 2021, as he prepared to make a second run for a suburban New York City House seat, George Santos gave permission for his campaign to commission a routine background study on him.
Campaigns frequently rely on this kind of research, known as vulnerability studies, to identify anything problematic that an opponent might seize on. But when the report came back on Mr. Santos, the findings by a Washington research firm were far more startling, suggesting a pattern of deception that cut to the heart of the image he had cultivated as a wealthy financier.
Some of Mr. Santos’s own vendors were so alarmed after seeing the study in late November 2021 that they urged him to drop out of the race, and warned that he could risk public humiliation by continuing. When Mr. Santos disputed key findings and vowed to continue running, members of the campaign team quit, according to three of the four people The New York Times spoke to with knowledge of the study.
Embattled Rep. George Santos persuaded at least one person to make a six-figure investment in a Florida-based company that the SEC later said was a Ponzi scheme https://t.co/v72n0IVeeZ
— Ben Pershing (@benpershing) January 14, 2023
CNN found a 2020 exchange in which George Santos—going by George Devolder—was confronted by a potential customer who looked into his Ponzi scheme and was told by Deutsche Bank that it was "a complete fraud" (Which, it turns out, was true)https://t.co/7sl3gy2Nln pic.twitter.com/9FHsR1rQfU
— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) January 13, 2023
In 2019, George Santos introduced himself as Anthony Devolder, the founder of “United for Trump,” during a Q & A session at a “Walk Away LGBT” event in NYC.
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 13, 2023
Santos said trans people could benefit from a trans conservative activist educating them. pic.twitter.com/b2RkA3YPnI
