New questions surround Congressman-elect George Santos' campaign finances
NEW YORK -- Calls for embattled Long Island Congressman-elect George Santos to resign are growing louder Friday after a new report stated Santos spent campaign funds on $40,000 worth of air travel.
The news came in a New York Times article overnight.
READ MORE: More of Congressman-elect George Santos' claims come under scrutiny
Meanwhile, CBS News sources say the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York is looking at Santos' finances, including financial disclosure filings.
It's something the weekly Long Island paper The North Shore Leader reported on last summer, months before the New York Times did a deeper dive into Santos' fabrications.
"We saw in his financial filings that there were hundreds of thousands of dollars of very dubious items listed. It smelled of fraud," said Grant Lally, co-publisher of The North Shore Leader. "The big one is the $700,000 loan that he claims he made to his campaign. Now, this is somebody who wasn't worth $5,000, and suddenly 12 months later, he is loaning his campaign $700,000 in cash."
Santos, a Republican, has refused to resign after admitting he lied about his education and work history.
READ MORE: Congressman-elect George Santos faces federal investigation after admitting to lying on resume
On Wednesday, more of Santos' claims were questioned, including one about him saying he attended the elite private school Horace Mann in the Bronx, but dropped out due to family financial hardships. A spokesperson for the school said there are no records of him ever attending.
Santos also previously said his mother was in the south tower on 9/11 and that her death was related to the tragedy, but reports say there is no evidence she was near ground zero.
"As a constituent, if I come to his office, how do I know that he's not just BS-ing me?" said Angel Reyes, of the Nassau County Agency of Hispanic Affairs.
READ MORE: Constituents make it clear at rally they don't want Congressman-elect George Santos seated
Amid growing calls for Santos to step down, Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres is introducing a bill with the acronym "SANTOS," which stands for "Stop Another Non-Truthful Office Seeker."
On Twitter, Torres said the bill would require candidates to disclose their employment, educational and military history under oath. He said the goal would be to punish candidates who lie to voters about their qualifications.