George Santos was happy to accept the backing of Long Island Republican leaders in his campaign for Congress.
At the same time, Santos was working against the party’s nominee in the 1st Congressional District, Nick LaLota, Newsday found.
Santos’ behind-the-scenes actions in support of Michelle Bond, a cryptocurrency trade association leader who had launched an eleventh hour insurgent challenge to LaLota, show how Santos played all sides during his successful campaign for Congress in the neighboring 3rd District, political leaders and experts told Newsday.
Santos didn’t come away empty-handed:
Within two weeks of Bond’s entry into the 1st District race, Santos received the first of what would become $46,000 in campaign donations from cryptocurrency executives and their family members, all of whom also were Bond donors, according to federal campaign finance records.
Santos’ connections to Bond and her donors, much of which has not been previously reported, allowed Santos to reap crypto campaign funds and strengthen his standing with a local right-wing group with a large…