George Santos had another terrible week

Embattled Rep. George Santos, a New York Republican, has weathered another week in Congress amid an avalanche of allegations about his campaign finance and embellished background.

The newly elected GOP rep was urged to resign from Congress, including by his local Republican Party, when it was revealed he had lied about his background, including that his mother was in World Trade during the 9/11 terrorist attacks center was.

He couldn’t quell calls for his resignation amid further allegations this week about his campaign finance and his admission that he dressed up as a drag queen in Brazil.

Santos has hit out at reports of the allegations including in tweet earlier this month It read: “From questioning clowns to creating fake ‘posts,’ the media continues to spiral downward as their attempt to frame me fails. I’ll do the job I signed up for while you all get out of hand.”

Here’s a recap of another terrible week for the new congressman:

Allegations Santos used fraudulent signature

An updated campaign finance report that Santos filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Tuesday revealed that financial adviser Thomas Datwyler was listed as his new treasurer, along with his signature.

However, Datwyler’s attorney, Derek Ross, told ABC News that his client would not take on the position.

“On Monday we informed the Santos campaign that Mr Datwyler would not be serving as Treasurer. It appears there was a discrepancy between that conversation and today’s filings that we did not authorize,” Ross said.

According to Adav Noti, senior vice president of the non-profit Campaign Legal Center, it would be illegal for Santos’ campaign to use Datwyler’s signature without his permission.

Drag Queen Entry Fallout

Santos admitted in an interview with ABC 7 last Saturday that he dressed in drag after multiple pictures of him surfaced online. However, he claimed to have only once dressed in drag at a festival in Brazil.

“I was young and having fun at a festival. Sue me for having a life,” he told local news station.

Earlier, the congressman dismissed claims that he acted in women’s clothing as “outrageous” and “categorically false”.

Santos’ admission that he dressed in drag isn’t in itself a problem, but it risks putting Republicans in a tight spot. Republicans have been relentless in their push against transgender people and LGBTQ rights and expression.

States, namely Arizona, Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, have all proposed anti-drag laws in recent months.

Questions about donors

Mother Jones on Friday raised questions about top donors who contributed money to Santos’ campaign.

The publication checked various databases to see if the names matched addresses shared by Santos’ failed 2020 congressional campaign and found that no one lived at the properties with those names listed.

It said the verified donations, which accounted for more than $30,000 of the $338,000 Santos raised from individuals, had not been previously reported.

The federal campaign finance law states that it is illegal to donate money under a false name or under someone else’s name.

news week has reached out to the Santos office for comment.