Federal prosecutors open probe into Rep.-elect George Santos - NBC News

Federal prosecutors successful New York person opened an probe into Rep.-elect George Santos, 2 instrumentality enforcement sources confirmed to NBC News connected Thursday.

The probe by national prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York is astatine slightest the 2nd probe into the recently elected Republican, who acknowledged earlier this week that he'd fabricated and "embellished" respective claims astir his inheritance involving his acquisition and enactment history.

The probe is said to beryllium successful its precise aboriginal stages and has not zeroed successful connected immoderate 1 allegation of wrongdoing yet, but the 2 sources confirmed that prosecutors are examining Santos’ finances, including imaginable irregularities involving fiscal disclosures and loans helium made to his run portion moving for Congress.

Danielle Hass, a spokesperson for the U.S. lawyer for the Eastern District of New York, declined to comment.

A spokesperson for Santos did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

ABC News first reported the national probe into Santos.

Santos is besides being investigated by the Nassau County territory attorney. The absorption of that probe is unclear astatine the moment, but DA Anne T. Donnelly successful a connection Wednesday said the "numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Congressman-Elect Santos are thing abbreviated of stunning."

“No 1 is supra the instrumentality and if a transgression was committed successful this county, we volition prosecute it,” the Republican authoritative added.

Last week, the New York lawyer general’s bureau said it was “looking into a fig of issues” surrounding Santos. The office, however, did not corroborate whether it had opened an authoritative investigation.

Questions astir Santos' inheritance came to airy earlier this period erstwhile The New York Times published a bombshell investigation indicating that overmuch of his résumé appeared to person been manufactured, including claims that helium owned galore properties, was antecedently employed by Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and had graduated from Baruch College.

The study besides raised questions astir however Santos was capable to lend his 2022 run $700,000 aft having claimed connected a run concern signifier successful 2020 that helium was making $55,000 a year.

During a fig of media appearances this week, Santos acknowledged but downplayed the fabrications. He told the New York Post successful an interrogation connected Monday that “My sins present are embellishing my résumé. I’m sorry.”

Santos' run filings indicated helium made millions of dollars successful 2021, and helium told the quality site Semafor in an nonfiction published Wednesday that helium made his wealth legitimately done his company's “capital introduction” business.

Separately, the quality outlet The Forward had questioned a assertion connected Santos’ run website that his grandparents “fled Jewish persecution successful Ukraine, settled successful Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII.” The outlet besides noted that Santos had called himself a “proud American Jew“ successful a presumption insubstantial that was shared with Jewish and pro-Israel leaders during his campaign.

In his interrogation with the Post, Santos said, “I ne'er claimed to beryllium Jewish.”

“I americium Catholic. Because I learned my maternal household had a Jewish inheritance I said I was ‘Jew-ish,’” helium added.

Some House Democrats person called connected Santos to resign. Republican House leaders — including Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, who's warring to go Speaker successful the caller Congress with a razor-thin GOP bulk — person not responded to requests for remark connected Santos.

Nick LaLota, a chap recently elected Republican congressman from New York, said successful a statement Tuesday that helium believed "a afloat probe by the House Ethics Committee and, if necessary, instrumentality enforcement, is required. New Yorkers merit the truth, and House Republicans merit an accidental to govern without this distraction."