EGADS! Where Santos sent his money

Daily Point

Making friends

George Santos did not look too comfortable with his new colleagues in Washington during Tuesday’s multiple speakership votes.

But it wasn’t for lack of buttering them up beforehand.

Santos spread money around to more than two dozen candidates for Congress over the course of this cycle, in the months before revelations about fictional aspects of his background, according to campaign finance filings. The sum included thousands sent to New Yorkers like Nick LaLota, Anthony D’Esposito, Mike Lawler, Nicole Malliotakis, Brandon Williams, and Claudia Tenney. However, Santos' largesse didn't extend just to those who could be fellow members of the New York delegation. The money — much of which came from the GADS PAC affiliated with Santos and named after his complete initials — also went to House hopefuls all over the country, including Wyoming and Tennessee. It went to incumbents like Texas Rep. Beth Van Duyne, and failed contenders like Pennsylvania's Lisa Scheller and Long Island's Michelle Bond, who ran a primary against LaLota in CD1.

It's possible that some of the generosity could be spurned. D'Esposito communications director Matt Capp told The Point that the campaign had cut a check and "they're planning on returning it" to the GADS outfit. 

Santos did not respond to questions about the purpose of the contributions, some of which amounted to substantial sums — like the $10,800 marked as an event donation to the Elise Victory Fund associated with upstate Rep. Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking member of the GOP conference, who campaigned for him. The checks come as questions swirl about the provenance of Santos’ wealth and campaign funds. They’re in addition to separate money that Santos doled out to fellow Republicans, including Lee Zeldin’s gubernatorial campaign and GOP clubs around New York.

The network of political groups — and the transfer of money between them — is relatively unusual. The GADS group is classified as a “leadership PAC,” which is typically used by more senior members.

— Mark Chiusano @mjchiusano

Talking Point

Down in the basements

The pushback against Huntington Town’s effort to broaden its accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, law to include basement apartments took an ugly and personal turn last week, when residents received a two-page mailing targeted at freshman town board member Salvatore Ferro, who introduced the initial resolution.

Ferro had withdrawn the resolution and its public hearing, originally scheduled for Jan. 4, prior to residents receiving the missive, but the flyer clearly was produced before the change, as it highlighted the hearing plans and asked residents to speak out against the proposal.

“FERROVILLE,” the mailer proclaimed over a sepia image of old apartment buildings and several individuals, with quote bubbles.

“What’s next? Live in dumpsters?” said one.

The mailer falsely stated that Ferro is president and chief executive of Alure Home Improvements, adding that “Basements are and always have been a big part of their business.” Its evidence: An article in Remodeling magazine about Ferro.

What the mailer doesn’t say: The article was posted in September 2008.

But Ferro stepped down as Alure’s president and chief executive and sold the company last year, in a deal that was in place before he was elected to the town board. Ferro said he has a small equity stake in the holding company that now owns Alure — but has no involvement in the company anymore. What’s more, Alure has moved away from the basement business, he told The Point.

“I see it as erroneous,” Ferro said. “It’s a cowardly approach by sending an anonymous letter without stating accurate facts and using scare tactics to paint a false narrative.”

Before seeing the mailer, Ferro had withdrawn the resolution in the face of concerns, but said he planned to reintroduce it with tweaks. That plan won’t change in light of the mailer, which, he said, “only makes me more convinced this is the right thing to do.”

“I understand that there are going to be differences of opinion and that can be worked out,” Ferro added. “But I’m not going to let an anonymous flyer affect what needs to be done in Huntington. The process needs to move forward.”

While the mailer is unsigned, Ferro notes that there’s a clue as to who’s behind it. The flyer tells residents to email Ferro, along with town board members Joan Cergol and Dave Bennardo, who have supported the ADU expansion efforts, to express opposition. Those emails, the flyer says, should also be sent to Save Huntington Village, an activist group that has protested development in the town. A request for comment from the group was not immediately returned.

— Randi F. Marshall @RandiMarshall

Pencil Point

The Red brigade

For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons

Final Point

Talking the talk

• Texas GOP Rep. Kevin Brady says George Santos has to take “huge” steps to regain the public’s trust. True, if by “huge” Brady means steps that are impossible to take since that trust is impossible to regain.
• Language in the new federal budget requires the Interior and Homeland Security departments and the General Services Administration to meet to discuss the preservation of Plum Island. After all this time of trying to protect the island, the government is only being asked to talk about it?
• Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Tex.), heads of key tech committees, expressed bipartisan support over the weekend for legislation to regulate Big Tech. We’ve seen this story and it always ends the same way — with no legislation. What’s different this time?
• The newest contagious and evasive COVID-19 subvariant is called XBB.1.5. The infectious disease community really does need a new naming system, or better marketing.
• As COVID-19 cases spike ferociously in China, the economy struggles mightily and public dissent continues, President Xi Jinping said, “China stands on the right side of history.” A statement rooted more in hope than reality.
• Tesla sold a record 1.3 million vehicles last year but that was undercut by news that the company fell short of Wall Street projections for fourth-quarter deliveries. So is Tesla the problem, or the projections?
• The end of 2022 was marked by the deaths of Pele, Barbara Walters and Pope Benedict, and the beginning of 2023 by the on-field collapse of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin. A reminder of the fragility of life following recollections of lives well-lived.

— Michael Dobie @mwdobie