George Santos hires Marjorie Taylor Greene's campaign treasurer
WASHINGTON — Rep. George Santos informed the Federal Election Commission on Saturday that he has hired Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s campaign treasurer as the treasurer for his own campaign finance committees.
Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) identified his new treasurer as Jason D. Boles, a partner in RTA Strategies of Alpharetta, Georgia, who has worked for years with Greene, known for promoting conspiracy theories and her support for former President Donald Trump.
Boles will replace Santos’ current treasurer, Andrew Olson, whose failure to respond to queries or messages prompted a watchdog group to file a complaint on May 10 with the FEC alleging that Olson does not exist.
Santos tweeted about his change of treasurers Saturday.
“On Friday, May 19, I was properly notified by my campaign’s then Treasurer, Mr. Andrew Olson, of his resignation. I appreciate the work Andrew and his team have done for the campaign and appreciate his willingness to ensure a smooth transition,” Santos tweeted Saturday.
Santos filed a notice Friday with the FEC saying he would be his own campaign treasurer, followed by the FEC notice about Boles on Saturday. Boles did not respond to Newsday queries Saturday.
It’s the latest twist for Santos, who has admitted fabricating his education, work history and Jewish heritage, and faces a House Ethics Committee probe that could force him out of Congress and a 13-count federal indictment that could land him in prison.
Santos has pleaded not guilty, vowed to fight the charges, rejected demands that he resign and filed papers with the FEC to run for reelection. He did not respond to a text.
His campaign finance filings for the several committees he formed for his two campaigns for Congress have become the basis for parts of the indictment, the Ethics Committee investigation and complaints filed by House members and watchdog groups.
In January, Santos’ longtime treasurer, Nancy Marks of Campaigns Unlimited in Shirley, resigned amid questions about the accuracy of the FEC filings for Santos’ seven committees. Santos named Thomas Datwyler as his new treasurer, but Datwyler declined the job.
Santos then filed forms naming Olson as his treasurer. Olson’s address on Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst matched the residence of Santos’ sister, Tiffany Lee Devolder Santos.
But after her landlord evicted her and she entered into a settlement for unpaid rent, Santos' campaign committee changed Olson’s address to a post office box in Washington, D.C.
The change of treasurers from Olson to Boles came a little more than a week after the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, filed a complaint asking the FEC to investigate whether Olson actually exists.
“Given his struggles with the truth, much about Rep. Santos remains a mystery, but there’s no bigger mystery than his treasurer,” CREW president Noah Bookbinder said in a statement when he filed the complaint.
“No one can seem to find Andrew Olson. If he does not exist, it would be an extreme abuse of our campaign finance system — one the FEC should not permit,” Bookbinder said.
Meanwhile, Dickinson Wright, the law firm assisting Santos in matters before the FEC, has dropped him as a client, The Washington Post reported Saturday, based on people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.
The law firm did not immediately respond to a Newsday query.
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