Campaigns Linked To Santos Left Donors Feeling Ripped Off After Questionable Credit Card Charges

[applegrove]

Campaigns Linked To Santos Left Donors Feeling Ripped Off After Questionable Credit Card Charges

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 12: Rep. George Santos (R-NY) leaves the U.S. Capitol on January 12,

By Hunter Walker and Josh Kovensky

January 14, 2023 6:01 a.m.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/george-santos-tina-forte-flag-credit-card-charges

"SNIP.......

Late in the 2020 election cycle, one regular Republican donor said they were getting bombarded with messages asking them to contribute to a New York congressional candidate named George Santos. The donor, who asked that their name be withheld since they are not a public person, checked in with then-Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), who, at the time, was representing a House district adjacent to the one where Santos was running on Long Island.

“I did reach out to Lee Zeldin and I said, ‘You know, who’s this George Santos? I’m getting nonstop phone calls, texts, everything,’” the donor recounted in a conversation with TPM.

According to the donor, Zeldin noted Santos was a “gay Republican.” Those are two of the aspects of the story Santos presented on the campaign trail that actually seem to be true. The donor was glad to offer Santos their support.

“That kind of diversity for the party, I thought, would be good,” said the donor. “So, the next time someone from his campaign called, which was probably very soon after, I gave my credit card over the phone for a $1,000 donation.”

......SNIP"

[Timewas]

1. Jeeeeez

This guy is a crook from top to bottom, and a republican, but I repeat myself.... there is no reason whatsoever he should not be charged with theft...Just plain theft, no fancy "irregularities" BS just plain old thief.

[Karadeniz]

2. I wouldn't give my credit card info over the phone....

[Cha]

3. News flash.. ya were 🤖

[progree]

4. "a long odyssey that they said resulted in more than $15,000 in false credit card charges"

Santos lost the 2020 race soon afterward. However, the donor’s brief interaction with Santos’ first unsuccessful House bid was the beginning of a long odyssey that they said resulted in more than $15,000 in false credit card charges. Some of that money inexplicably went to the campaign of Tina Forte, another Republican congressional candidate in New York whose campaign had links to Santos.

. . . “I contacted WinRed donor support because that was listed as the merchant on my Amex statement. That was a whole months-long process because they couldn’t find these transactions even though they were listed as the merchant,” the donor said. “They had no record of them in their system.”

long long read, I didn't read it all. But just to give an idea we're not talking about a couple nuisance $14.95 charges