Two New York Democrats filed an ethics complaint against embattled freshman Rep. George Santos earlier this year. The reasoning for the complaint, according to Politico, involved Santos not filing a financial disclosure from 2021.
Santos has previously been the subject of conduct investigations, but has denied that he broke any laws.
Asked about the financial disclosures, the New York Republican's office said it couldn't legally comment on campaign matters.
Under federal law, House congressional candidates must file a personal financial disclosure once they raise or spend more than $5,000 for an election.
In odd-numbered years, Politico reports the form is due by May 15, or within 30 days of the candidate raising that amount, whichever comes second.
And in election or even-numbered years, the filing is due by May 15 or 30 days before a primary.
Politico reports that Santos began fundraising efforts shortly after losing to then-Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., in the 2020 election, which means Santos would have been obligated to file a financial disclosure in May 2021.
And as Politico writes, the missing 2021 form might have provided information as to how Santos "went from saying he had no assets in 2020 to reporting being worth millions of dollars in 2022."
The congressional requirement for financial disclosures dates back to 1978. It was created to articulate any conflicts of interest and prevent members from using congressional office for personal gain.
Santos isn't the only congressional member to be late with financial disclosures.
According to Politico's review of House ethics disclosures and Federal Election Commission filings, dozens of candidates from the past two election cycles were either late with financial disclosures, or didn't file one altogether.
"The failure to have some appropriate but robust enforcement of these rules is really inviting them to be ignored," Meredith McGehee, an ethics expert, told Politico.
The Santos news puts a national face on a system that has been broken for years.
"George Santos is an easy scapegoat for larger institutional problems that Congress has neglected to deal with for many, many years," said Donald Sherman, senior vice president and chief counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told Politico.
"The only question that remains is are they going to deal with him?" added Sherman.
Last year, after winning his congressional race in the midterm elections, Santos acknowledged the embellishment of parts of his career resumé, including working for Wall Street firms Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.
Around that time, Santos also claimed that his maternal grandparents changed their name from Zabrovsky to conceal their Jewish heritage.
However, other reports suggested that Santos' Zabrovsky reference might have stemmed from an alias name, "Anthony Zabrovsky," that was allegedly used for a pet charity on GoFundMe.
Santos has already filed the paperwork for his reelection campaign in 2024, according to reports.
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