George Santos Campaign Staffer Impersonated Kevin McCarthy's Top Aide to Secure Donations From Wealthy Republicans

Controversial Representative-elect George Santos of New York seems to be in deeper trouble after reports surfaced that his campaign fundraiser allegedly impersonated Kevin McCarthy's top aide to help raise campaign money.

Santos is reportedly not only under fire from Democrats but also from his Republican colleagues.

According to CNBC, a member of the Santos campaign team allegedly impersonated McCarthy's chief of staff to secure donations from top Republican donors.

People with knowledge of the matter told CNBC that during the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, a man claiming to be McCarthy's chief of staff, Dan Meyer, emailed and called wealthy donors.

However, a GOP donor who contributed to Santos' campaign said that man turned out to be Sam Miele, a member of Santos' political team, who worked as a fundraiser for the then-congressional candidate.

A Republican political strategist close to GOP donors and the Republican Jewish Coalition's leadership admitted that Santos duped them.

The freshman New York representative is reportedly banned from any of the group's future events after it was found that he faked having Jewish lineage.

In a letter to his Republican Jewish Coalition colleagues, board member Eric Levine wrote that the lying congressman "deserves to be humiliated and held in contempt."

Levine admitted that they endorsed Santos because he claimed to be Jewish and even donated to his campaign.

Kevin McCarthy Campaign Knew About George Santos Campaign Using Their Name for Fundraising

The New York Post contacted Kevin McCarthy's representatives and asked about George Santos' campaign fundraiser pretending to be the now House Speaker's chief of staff.

McCarthy's lawyer Elliot Berke told the outlet that they found out about this issue last year and confronted the Santos campaign team about it.

"When this issue came to our attention last year, I raised it with the Santos campaign and felt it was resolved to our satisfaction," he noted.

The Santos campaign team reportedly paid Sam Miele almost $100,000 to fundraise for them.

He was paid $50,000 during Santos' failed 2020 House campaign and then $42,000 for his successful 2022 run for the House.

George Santos Got Booed When Voting for Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker

The GOP drama behind the House Speakership vote has overshadowed George Santos' first day on the job as New York representative.

One of his first acts was to vote for the next House Speaker, and he sided with Kevin McCarthy. However, as he cast his vote, "boos" were heard on the House floor.

According to The Independent, the jeers came from the Democrats' side of the aisle. Several House Democrats, including home-state colleague Ritchie Torres, have been very vocal in asking either he resign or be removed from Congress.

However, the embattled lawmaker has doubled down and pledged to stay as a member of the House.

As Latin Post previously reported, Santos was shunned by fellow Republicans on his first day. He was seen sitting alone and not talking to anybody on the House floor.

Federal prosecutors are now investigating Santos, with the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York looking into his finances and financial disclosures.

The Republican district attorney for Nassau County is also reviewing the alleged embellishments on his resume.

He is also in trouble in Brazil, as Brazilian authorities plan to revive fraud charges against him. It is related to a 2008 incident involving using a stolen checkbook and a false name.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: George Santos Accused of Breaking Campaign Finance Laws - From CBS Evening News