Politics

(WASHINGTON) — Arkansas’ Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Sunday that the pro-Trump Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on Capitol Hill “disqualifies” Donald Trump from winning the 2024 GOP nomination as he considers his own challenge to the former president.

“I do not believe that Donald Trump should be the next president of the United States. I think he’s had his opportunity there. I think Jan. 6 really disqualifies him for the future. And so, we move beyond that. And that’s what I want to be focused on,” Hutchinson, who will soon travel to the early primary state of Iowa, told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.

Karl pressed Hutchinson on if that view meant he definitively wouldn’t support Trump should Trump emerge as the Republican nominee for the White House in two years.

Hutchinson demurred and only said he would consider the options out of what is likely to be a crowded field.

“I want to see what the alternatives are. And it’s premature, Jonathan, to get into what might happen in 2024. That issue will come up. But I want to see everything I can do to make sure there is the alternative and that Donald Trump is not the nominee of the party. That’s the first thing, and let’s figure out how to do that,” Hutchinson said.

His comments come after the House panel investigating the 2021 Capitol attack recently referred criminal charges for Trump and others to the Justice Department over their alleged roles in the violence, including what the committee said was Trump conspiring to defraud the U.S. and aiding the insurrectionists.

Trump has repeatedly said he did nothing wrong and accused the House committee of politically persecuting him.

Hutchinson has consistently said he does not think Trump should be the 2024 nominee but acknowledged in his “This Week” interview that the former president remains the “front-runner,” citing recent polling and his name recognition from his celebrity status and four years in the White House.

Still, Hutchinson said he disagrees with considerations by the party to insert a rule into 2024 primary debates binding presidential candidates to support the GOP’s ultimate nominee.

“I think it would be a mistake to do that. I think it’s obvious that you’ve got a divided party in the sense that you’ve got a base of loyal Trump supporters. But you’ve got what to me is even a larger majority of those that say, ‘We want to go a different direction,'” he said.

Hutchinson has strongly suggested that he’ll make a run of his own after Trump launched his third presidential campaign in November. But he told Karl that there was nothing to announce yet.

“Obviously, I’m going to Iowa later this month. I’m excited about that. But no decision has been made now. And we can’t make a decision until a little bit later. But I want to be a part of the solutions for America,” he said.

That vision of problem-solving, he said, was one way other conservatives could differentiate themselves from Trump in the lead-up to the 2024 race.

“He does not define the Republican Party. And we have to have other voices. … It’s an opportunity for other voices to rise that’s going to be problem-solving, commonsense conservatives. And they can shape the future of the Republican Party but also provide the right counterbalance to [President Joe] Biden’s failed policies. And, to me, that’s what we have to do in 2023,” Hutchinson said.

Looking ahead to other possible 2024 contenders, Hutchinson said that Trump — despite his continued popularity within the GOP — no longer had the appeal of being “new” on the political scene. He argued that Trump’s blend of “chaos” and “anger” could be a turnoff.

“That’s not a new thing anymore. And so I think people move away from it rather than embrace it,” he said.

“You need to have simply a message that’s authentic to yourself, a message that is problem-solving and say, ‘This is what we need to do as a country.’ And that, to me, is the right contrast,” he said.

Hutchinson, who served four years in the House before serving in other federal and state roles, also knocked Rep.-elect George Santos, R-N.Y., after it was revealed following Santos’ midterm election victory that he fabricated or embellished several parts of his resume and personal life.

“There has to be accountability for that. That is unacceptable. I don’t know whether you can go so far as to not seat him but certainly the Ethics Committee should deal with this, and he has to be held accountable for that,” Hutchinson said. “That’s unacceptable in politics. It breaches the trust between the electorate and their elected official.”

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(WASHINGTON) — House Republican Whip Steve Scalise sent a letter to his colleagues Friday outlining the party’s legislative agenda once it takes over the chamber in the new year.

Scalise, who has been elected to become the next House majority leader, laid out a handful of bills that will be brought to the floor in the first two weeks of the next Congress — many of which would counter the work done by Democrats over the past four years.

“The American people spoke on November 8th and decided it was time for a new direction,” Scalise wrote.

“The last two years have been tough on hard-working families as they have grappled with drastic increases in the cost of living, safety concerns with violent crime skyrocketing in our communities, soaring gas and home heating prices, and a worsening crisis at our Southern border,” he added.

The list of legislation includes a bill to rescind billions of dollars allocated for the Internal Revenue Service in the Inflation Reduction Act, which Democrats passed with zero Republican support.

Republicans assert the funding will result in the hiring of 87,000 IRS agents to target middle-income families, which the Treasury Department has said is not the case. Democrats said the money is needed to modernize the agency and replace a retiring workforce.

Another bill to be brought forward by the GOP would make permanent the Hyde Amendment, a decades-old provision that has banned federal funding for most abortions. President Joe Biden supported the amendment for years but reversed his position in 2019 and Democrats tried to get rid of the provision in a spending bill last year but the effort failed.

According to Scalise, the GOP will also bring forward separate legislation to establish a China select committee, block “non-emergency” drawdowns from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and give the Department of Homeland Security secretary power to turn away migrants at the border absent “operational control.”

While Republicans are set to take back control of the House for the first time since 2018 next week, many of the measures are likely to face an uphill in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

In the letter, Scalise also encouraged his colleagues to vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy for speaker on Jan. 3.

McCarthy’s bid to become the chamber’s leader has been complicated by opposition from a group of hard-line conservatives who say the California congressman isn’t doing enough to push back against Democrats, especially after the GOP’s disappointing performance in the midterm elections.

Official business in the House, including establishing committees, holding votes and seating members, will not be able to start until a new speaker is elected.

Scalise told his colleagues that he recognizes that it will take time for committees to get established in the new Congress, but said the bills that he plans to bring forward first are “ready-to-go” legislation.

“These commonsense measures will address challenges facing hard- working families on issues ranging from energy, inflation, border security, life, taxpayer protection, and more,” the congressman wrote. “They should garner wide support and provide an indication of our bold agenda to come.”

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(WASHINGTON) — The White House on Friday announced six full pardons granted by President Joe Biden.

“Today, President Biden is granting six full pardons for individuals who have served their sentences and have demonstrated a commitment to improving their communities and the lives of those around them,” a White House official said. “These include individuals who honorably served in the U.S. military, volunteer in their communities, and survived domestic abuse.”

Those being pardoned are Gary Davis of Yuma, Arizona; Edward Lincoln De Coito III of Dublin, California; Vincente Ray Flores of Winters, California; Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas of Columbus, Ohio; Charlie Byrnes Jackson of Swansea, South Carolina; and John Dix Nock III of St. Augustine, Florida.

Five of the people pardoned served sentences for drug or alcohol-related crimes while they were relatively young, according to the White House.

Davis, now 66, was 22 years old when he pleaded guilty to using a telephone to facilitate an unlawful cocaine transaction.

Jackson, now 77, pleaded guilty to one count of possession and sale of distilled spirits without tax stamps when he was 18 years old.

Nock, now 72 years old, pleaded guilty nearly three decades ago to one count of renting and making for use, as an owner, a place for the purpose of manufacturing marijuana plants.

One of the individuals pardoned served in the military and one remains on active duty. Flores pleaded guilty at a special court-martial for consuming ecstasy and alcohol while serving in the military, and has since gone on to be awarded with multiple military honors. De Coito also received honors in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves before he pleaded guilty at the age of 23 to involvement in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy.

Ibn-Tamas, 80, was convicted of second-degree murder for killing her husband while pregnant at the age of 33. She testified he abused her during and prior to the pregnancy, but the court didn’t allow a battered women expert to testify in her case.

“President Biden believes America is a nation of second chances, and that offering meaningful opportunities for redemption and rehabilitation empowers those who have been incarcerated to become productive, law-abiding members of society,” the White House official said.

“The president remains committed to providing second chances to individuals who have demonstrated their rehabilitation — something that elected officials on both sides of the aisle, faith leaders, civil rights advocates, and law enforcement leaders agree our criminal justice system should offer,” the official added.

The year-end pardons add to Biden’s clemency list. The president pardoned three people in April, including the first Black Secret Service agent to serve on a presidential detail.

Then, in October, Biden announced he was pardoning thousands of individuals convicted of marijuana possession under federal law. The White House said at the time the executive action would benefit 6,500 people.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Democratic-controlled House Ways and Means Committee on Friday publicly released documents related to former President Donald Trump’s tax returns covering the six years from 2015-2020.

The move comes after committee members voted 24-16 last week to release the documents after sensitive information — like bank account numbers and Social Security numbers — had been redacted.

Trump has long fought to keep his tax records private.

Trump released a statement Friday pushing back on the House committee for making the records public while also claiming they “show how proudly successful” he has been.

“The Democrats should have never done it, the Supreme Court should have never approved it, and it’s going to lead to horrible things for so many people,” Trump said. “The great USA divide will now grow far worse. The Radical Left Democrats have weaponized everything, but remember, that is a dangerous two-way street!”

Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., told reporters last Tuesday that the committee found there was no ongoing audit of Trump’s tax returns during his presidency until the committee requested them, despite an IRS requirement that tax returns filed by a sitting president or vice president are subject to audit.

Neal said the audit only began in 2019 after he requested the returns and said the audits of the requested returns were never completed.

“The tax forms were really never audited and only my sending a letter at one point prompted a rearview mirror response,” Neal said.

The committee had requested six years’ worth of Trump’s returns from the Treasury Department as part of what it said was an investigation into IRS audit practices of presidents and vice presidents.

Trump has accused the committee of seeking his taxes under false pretenses, saying the probe is just a politically motivated fishing expedition. But the committee said the documents were critical for drafting “legislation on equitable tax administration, including legislation on the President’s tax compliance.”

According to a summary released last week by the committee, Trump and his wife, Melania, together reported $31.7 million in losses and reported $641,931 in net taxes during the first year of Trump’s presidential campaign, in 2015.

During the 2016 presidential election year, the two again reported losing $32.4 million in adjusted gross income and paid just $750 in taxes, according to the committee. During Trump’s first year in office, the couple reported losing $12.9 million and again paid $750 in taxes.

In 2018, their adjusted gross income went up, with them bringing in $24.3 million, and they reported paying $999,456 in taxes. In 2019, the two reported making $4.4 million and paid $133,445 in taxes.

In 2020, they reported losing $4.8 million and Trump paid $0 in taxes.

The top Republican on the committee, Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, has said Democrats made a major mistake in a “rush to target” Trump by releasing his tax returns.

“Ways and Means Democrats are unleashing a dangerous new political weapon that reaches far beyond President Trump, and jeopardizes the privacy of every American,” Brady said in a statement.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Democratic-controlled House Ways and Means Committee on Friday publicly released documents related to former President Donald Trump’s tax returns covering the six years from 2015-2020.

The move comes after committee members voted 24-16 last week to release the documents after sensitive information — like bank account numbers and Social Security numbers — had been redacted.

Trump has long fought to keep his tax records private.

Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., told reporters last Tuesday that the committee found there was no ongoing audit of Trump’s tax returns during his presidency until the committee requested them, despite an IRS requirement that tax returns filed by a sitting president or vice president are subject to audit.

Neal said the audit only began in 2019 after he requested the returns and said the audits of the requested returns were never completed.

“The tax forms were really never audited and only my sending a letter at one point prompted a rearview mirror response,” Neal said.

The committee had requested six years’ worth of Trump’s returns from the Treasury Department as part of what it said was an investigation into IRS audit practices of presidents and vice presidents.

Trump has accused the committee of seeking his taxes under false pretenses, saying the probe is just a politically motivated fishing expedition. But the committee said the documents were critical for drafting “legislation on equitable tax administration, including legislation on the President’s tax compliance.”

According to a summary released last week by the committee, Trump and his wife, Melania, together reported $31.7 million in losses and reported $641,931 in net taxes during the first year of Trump’s presidential campaign, in 2015.

During the 2016 presidential election year, the two again reported losing $32.4 million in adjusted gross income and paid just $750 in taxes, according to the committee. During Trump’s first year in office, the couple reported losing $12.9 million and again paid $750 in taxes.

In 2018, their adjusted gross income went up, with them bringing in $24.3 million, and they reported paying $999,456 in taxes. In 2019, the two reported making $4.4 million and paid $133,445 in taxes.

In 2020, they reported losing $4.8 million and Trump paid $0 in taxes.

The top Republican on the committee, Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, has said Democrats made a major mistake in a “rush to target” Trump by releasing his tax returns.

“Ways and Means Democrats are unleashing a dangerous new political weapon that reaches far beyond President Trump, and jeopardizes the privacy of every American,” Brady said in a statement.

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(WASHINGTON) — More discrepancies are emerging about New York Rep.-elect George Santos’ background, adding to a growing list of fabrications and exaggerations that the incoming congressman has told about his life — some of which have drawn the attention of prosecutors.

In addition to having falsely said he attended Baruch College, which he has since admitted, another part of his education has now been challenged.

On an archived version of his 2020 congressional website, Santos said he went to the elite private school Horace Mann in New York City but did not graduate due to financial difficulties for his family. He said he went on to obtain his GED.

But a spokesperson for the school on Thursday confirmed to ABC News — and other outlets — that he never attended Horace Mann.

An attorney for Santos, Joseph Murray, initially pushed back on scrutiny of his background as “defamatory,” claiming it was a biased smear. Murray has since referred ABC News to Santos’ press team, who has not responded to requests for comment.

Another apparent contradiction in Santos’ biography surrounds the death of his mother, Fatima Devolder.

Santos’ wrote in a tweet in 2021 that “9/11 claimed my mother’s life…”

In an archived version of his campaign website, he said that his mother worked in the South Tower of the World Trade Center and survived the terror attack but died “a few years later.”

Today, his website states that his mother died from cancer but does not disclose if it was related to 9/11 and being exposed to Ground Zero.

Santos has seemingly revised the timeline of his mother’s death as well. In a tweet from December 2021, he wrote that the date marked the five-year anniversary of his mom dying — which would have been 2016 — despite previously saying her death was a “few years” after 9/11.

An obituary for his mother states that she died on Dec. 23, 2016, which matches Santos’ tweet last year, but it’s unclear how old she was when she died. The obituary said she was born in 1962, which means she would have been 54, but the obituary states that she was 64.

Santos has admitted to fabricating some parts of his background, including his education and employment history, and also exaggerating his Jewish ancestry. But he’s insisted in interviews that he’s “not a criminal,” suggesting he was guilty merely of “embellishing.”

“I think humans are flawed, and we all make mistakes,” Santos said during an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. “I think we can all look at ourselves in the mirror and admit that once in our life we made a mistake. I’m having to admit this on national television for the whole country to see.”

But Santos seemed to backtrack on some of his admissions of actual falsehoods on his resume during the Fox News interview, saying that his claim that he worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup is “debatable” as Link Bridge, a firm he served as vice president for, did “extensive” business with the two Wall Street giants.

Both Goldman and Citigroup have said they have no record he was employed there.

Santos, a Republican, has said he intends to take his House seat despite the controversy and “be effective” as a lawmaker, as he told The New York Post this week.

He has been facing a growing chorus of criticism from Democrats and some fellow Republicans, including calls that he resign and be investigated by the House Ethics Committee.

Local, state and federal prosecutors are also looking at some of the claims regarding Santos’ background, including his financial disclosures, ABC News reported. He has not been accused of any crimes.

Santos has allegedly been telling local Republican leaders he will not seek reelection in 2024, according to the Nassau County Republican chairman.

In response to that information, Nassau County Republican Committee Chairman Joseph Cairo said, “I don’t know what party would endorse him as a candidate. This Republican committee will not support George Santos in 2024.”

In Nassau County, in the district where Santos was elected last month, Courage for America and Unrig our Economy on Thursday held a press conference at the courthouse along with community leaders demanding Congress open an investigation.

Linda Beigel Schulman, who said she lived on Long Island her entire life, went after Santos for his false and unsubstantiated statements, such as previously saying in a news interview that he lost employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting in Florida. The New York Times reported that it could find no links between the identified Pulse victims and businesses associated with Santos.

Beigel Schulman’s son, Scott Beigel, was killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting; he was a geography teacher at the school.

“How dare he try to score political points or gain sympathy by lying about losing employees?” she said.

“I know all too well and all too deep, the sense of loss and grief about someone you know or someone you love, who was killed by gun violence,” she said.

Beigel Schulman also said she took issue with Santos’ exaggerations about his Jewish ancestry, with an earlier version of his biography saying his maternal grandparents fled persecution during World War II and resettled in Brazil. He has said his mother was Jewish.

But The Forward, a Jewish news outlet, reviewed genealogical information and found that Santos’ maternal grandparents were born in Brazil.

During the New York Post interview, Santos said he’s “clearly Catholic” but maintained that his grandmother told stories about being Jewish and later converting to Catholicism.

“I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was ‘Jew-ish,'” Santos said.

“Santos’ lies are insulting and demeaning to every child of a Holocaust survivor. How do I know because I am a child of a Holocaust survivor,” Beigel Schulman said on Thursday. “Outright, blatant lying and fabrication by those who want to be our representatives should not be accepted by any of us.”

Santos’ Democratic rival in the November election, Robert Zimmerman, spoke at the event, too.

“We demand that Congress conduct a House ethics investigation into George Santos,” Zimmerman said. “This moment is not about Democrat or Republican politics. This moment is about protecting our democracy, standing up for justice, and standing together in unity.”

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden Thursday signed the omnibus spending bill into law while on vacation, extending funding for the government into next year.

Biden, on vacation in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, signed the $1.7 trillion into law to avoid a government shutdown and provide funding for the federal government through September.

The legislation, which provides $773 billion for non-defense discretionary spending and $858 billion for defense spending, marks victories for both parties.

“Today, I signed the bipartisan omnibus bill, ending a year of historic progress,” Biden tweeted. “It’ll invest in medical research, safety, veteran health care, disaster recovery, VAWA funding – and gets crucial assistance to Ukraine. Looking forward to more in 2023.”

Democrats were able to move the bill over the finish line despite near universal opposition by House Republicans, who are set to retake the chamber next month. And Republicans can tout the fact that defense outweighs non-defense spending after Democrats had pushed for parity.

“In eleven days this all changes. We are going to reclaim this body’s integrity and service to the American people. After this institution covers itself in disgrace, disgrace one last time under Democrat one-party rule. A new direction is coming. In eleven days, Republicans will deliver,” House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California, who is seeking to become speaker in the next Congress, said just before the House considered the spending bill.

“This bill is further proof that Republicans and Democrats can come together to deliver for the American people, and I’m looking forward to continued bipartisan progress in the year ahead,” Biden said in his own statement after the House passed the bill in a 225-201 vote last week.

Democratic and Republican appropriators faced a rocky process to craft the omnibus in the final days before the winter holiday recess, and Congress was forced to pass multiple stopgap spending bills to prevent a government shutdown.

Disagreements over several issues, including immigration, funding to Ukraine and even the location of the FBI’s new headquarters, snarled the negotiations, but ultimately the two parties came to the $1.7 trillion compromise.

Included within the bill are $40 billion in funding to support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, $38 billion in emergency disaster assistance, a ban on TikTok on federal government phones and the Electoral Count Reform Act, which makes it more difficult for members of Congress to challenge the results of a presidential election.

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(PHOENIX) — Democrat Kris Mayes is the winner of Arizona’s attorney general race, a state judge announced Thursday.

Mayes defeated Republican Abraham Hamadeh by 280 votes after a mandatory recount was triggered due to how close they were separated after the initial tally in November, when Mayes led by roughly 500 votes out of 2.5 million cast.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Timothy Thomason unveiled the results of the recount in a hearing on Thursday.

Mayes’ lead from November was nearly halved in the recount. The results showed she had 1,254,809 votes to Hamadeh’s 1,254,529 votes.

Mayes’ victory is another win for Democrats this midterm cycle against candidates who endorsed former President Donald Trump’s election denialism. In Arizona, a traditionally red state, Democrats defeated GOP election deniers in races for Senate, governor, secretary of state and now attorney general.

“I will say once again that I’m thankful to everyone who took their time to vote, and democracy is truly a team sport,” she said after the results were announced. “I’m thankful for my campaign, transition and legal teams. I’m excited to get to work as your next Attorney General and vow to be your Lawyer for the People. Onward…”

Hamadeh, who was backed by Trump, denied the legitimacy of the 2020 election.

In late November, he sued Mayes and a range of state officials alleging there were procedural and tabulation errors that, if corrected, would make him victorious.

The lawsuit was thrown out last week by Mohave County Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen, who said Hamadeh failed to prove the errors he claimed happened. Hamadeh’s attorney also acknowledged he hadn’t gained enough votes during the litigation to change the outcome of the contest.

After the lawsuit was tossed, Hamadeh said he would wait for the results of the recount before deciding “next steps,” but continued to maintain the election was mishandled.

Following the announcement of the recount results, Hamadeh again claimed discrepancies and questioned the outcome of the race. He wrote on Twitter, “We MUST get to the bottom of this election. Transparent elections are fundamental to a democracy.”

Mayes celebrated the case’s dismissal last week and said she believed the results of the mandatory recount would still show her ahead of Hamadeh.

“The will of Arizona voters will not be undermined,” she said at the time.

Mayes, a former member of the Arizona Corporation Commission and a former Republican, campaigned heavily on reproductive rights and voting rights. She’s vowed not to prosecute abortion ban violations and to pursue threats to election workers.

Judge Thomason on Thursday also announced the recount results of two other tight races for state superintendent and for a state legislative seat. Republican Tom Horne won the race for superintendent of public instruction and Republican Liz Harris won the state legislative seat for House District 13.

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(WASHINGTON) — The House Jan. 6 committee has formally withdrawn its subpoena of former President Donald Trump as the investigation comes to an end days before the next Congress, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The chairman of the committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson, informed Trump’s lawyers of the decision in a letter on Wednesday — citing the “imminent end” of the panel’s work.

“As you may know, the select committee has concluded its hearings, released its final report and will very soon reach its end,” Thompson, D-Miss., wrote. “In light of the imminent end of our investigation, the select committee can no longer pursue the specific information covered by the subpoena.”

The committee subpoenaed Trump in October, ordering him to turn over documents by Nov. 4 and to appear for one or several days of deposition under oath beginning on Nov. 14.

“We recognize that a subpoena to a former President is a significant and historic step,” Thompson and Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, the committee’s vice chair, wrote in a letter to Trump at the time. “We do not take this action lightly.”

Trump sued to block the subpoena, with his attorneys calling it “invalid” — because they said it did not further a legislative purpose — as well as overly broad and an attack on his First Amendment rights.

The suit essentially froze the issue, which has not yet been ruled on by a judge.

This week’s withdrawal, as the House’s Jan. 6 probe winds down, was expected given that the committee will officially expire on Dec. 31 and there is no more time to litigate these matters.

In a statement on Truth Social, Trump incorrectly claimed that the committee “probably [withdrew it] because they knew i did nothing wrong, or they were about to lose in court.”

The panel has withdrawn a number of subpoenas as their work concludes.

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(NEW YORK) — Federal prosecutors have started looking into public filings by congressman-elect George Santos amid questions about the source of his wealth, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The sources were careful not to characterize this as a formal investigation and stressed that prosecutors, at this stage, are only looking at publicly available filings.

An attorney for Santos referred ABC News to his press team, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York, which encompasses New York’s 3rd Congressional District in Queens and Nassau County that Santos will represent, declined to comment.

In 2020 when he first ran for Congress, Santos listed no assets and a salary of $55,000 in his personal financial disclosure report filed as a House candidate.

But his 2022 personal financial disclosure report filed as a candidate subsequently showed his fortunes had drastically changed: He owned assets valued between $2.6 million and $11.25 million, including an apartment in Rio de Janeiro, a checking account and a savings account.

According to the 2022 disclosure, he reported earning millions between January 2021 through December 2022 from his New York-based company, Devolder Organization. He also reported having a car loan worth between $15,001-$50,000.

Santos did not identify any clients of Devolder on his disclosure form and the company does not appear to have a public presence, such as a website. His campaign website previously called it his “family firm,” where he oversaw $80 million in client assets as the managing principal.

According to his campaign disclosure filed with the Federal Election Commission, Santos reported loaning his congressional campaign $705,000 between 2020 and 2022, including $500,000 in March 2022 and a last-minute injection of $125,000 in the final weeks of the 2022 election cycle.

Last week, the FEC sent a letter to the Santos campaign asking to properly itemize the $125,000 loan.

His seemingly sudden wealth, along with other discrepancies in his biography that were first reported by The New York Times, drew the attention of congressional Democrats, including New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, who tweeted this week that “George Santos, a former call center employee falling behind on his rent, lent his campaign a staggering $705,000. Where did all that money come from?”

Santos has admitted to fabricating parts of his background, including his education and employment history, and also exaggerating his Jewish ancestry. But he’s insisted in interviews that he’s “not a criminal,” suggesting he was guilty merely of “embellishing.”

“I think humans are flawed, and we all make mistakes,” Santos said during an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. “I think we can all look at ourselves in the mirror and admit that once in our life we made a mistake. I’m having to admit this on national television for the whole country to see.”

But Santos seemed to backtrack on some of his admissions of actual falsehoods on his resume during the Fox News interview, saying that his claim that he worked for Goldman Sachs and CitiGroup is “debatable,” saying Link Bridge, a firm he served as vice president for, did “extensive” business with the two Wall Street giants.

Santos continued to defend himself on Fox News, saying he’s “not a fraud” and that he worked “damn hard to get where I got my entire life.”

He told the news outlet Semafor that he made his money in part by matching sellers of luxury goods like planes and yachts with potential buyers and taking a cut. He described Devolder as working in “deal building” and “specialty consulting” and his clients as “high net worth individuals.”

“If you’re looking at a $20 million yacht, my referral fee there can be anywhere between $200,000 and $400,000,” Santos told Semafor.

The site said he did not answer questions about his past clients.

To questions about his Jewish ancestry, Santos, who had once called himself a “proud American Jew” told the New York Post: “I never claimed to be Jewish… I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was ‘Jew-ish.'”

Separately, the New York attorney general is looking into an animal rescue charity tied to Santos along with an address in Queens where Santos was registered to vote, sources previously told ABC News.

The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office is also looking into Santos, a spokesman for the office told ABC News.

District Attorney Anne Donnelly, a Republican who was elected a year ago, said in a statement that “the numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Congressman-Elect Santos are nothing short of stunning. The residents of Nassau County and other parts of the third district must have an honest and accountable representative in Congress. No one is above the law and if a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it.”

While Santos has acknowledged fabricating parts of his resume, after previously pushing back on the scrutiny about his background, he has said he doesn’t intend to resign.

“This [controversy] will not deter me from having good legislative success. I will be effective. I will be good,” he told the New York Post this week.

Republican leaders in the House have not commented.

Rep.-elect Nick LaLota, a fellow incoming New York Republican, called for an ethics investigation. Another incoming New York Republican representative, Anthony D’Esposito, tweeted that Santos should “pursue a path of honesty” and a “spirit of sincerity.”

ABC News’ Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.

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