Why hasn't Santos been charged with any crime yet? Forget his lies, what about the reports of....

[machoneman]

...FEC lies, bank fraud, wire fraud and his shady female accountant? Geez, why are they waiting?

[Irish_Dem]

1. Getting elected to high federal office is the best grift around.

You become sacred and off limits to law enforcement.
All your crimes just magically melt away.

[brooklynite]

2. So you're saying the DOJ is intentionally giving him a pass?

[comradebillyboy]

3. Someone is surely giving him a pass.

[brooklynite]

5. Life is not an episode of LAW AND ORDER where everything is resolved in 44 minutes.

[comradebillyboy]

6. Some problems never seem to get resolved at all.

[blueinredohio]

7. Amen!

[onenote]

16. And in the real world, investigations take time.

It was reported in late December that the US Attorney's Office has initiated an investigation of Santos. Investigations of financial crimes are not completed overnight.

An example: in 1997, DOJ launched a task force to investigate campaign finance violations occurring during the 1996 election cycle. It uncovered and brought charges in a number of cases. Typically, before charges were brought, DOJ engaged in plea deal negotiations with the target. In a typical case, it was not until 1999 that formal charges were brought pursuant to a plea deal. These investigations and the plea negotiations are treated as highly confidential matters.

So while you may assume that nothing is happening, its more likely that something is happening but DOJ has not reason to provide updates to you, me or any other member of the public at large.

[edhopper]

9. Let's see

where their investigation goes.
Not holding my breath.

[Marius25]

15. Yes.

DoJ has already done a horrible job holding any higher up Republicans accountable. They're closer to arresting Hunter Biden than any Republican in power.

[Autumn]

4. He's in the top tier.

[JustAnotherGen]

8. He's already filed for the 2024 Campaign

He's not going to be there much longer.

[Baltimike]

10. IOKIYAR nt

[Blue Owl]

11. As Jeff Tiedrich has frequently pointed out....

If you're a black man selling loose cigarettes on the street corner, justice is swift and terrible.

But if you're a lying sack of shit Republican who's playing by today's political rules, well then justice can wait another day or three, no big deal....

[uponit7771]

13. +1

[uponit7771]

12. There's no laptop so there's no probable cause to investigate a crime/ sarc

[onenote]

14. Because FEC and DOJ investigations take time in the real world.

The FEC is required by law to go through a multi-step process before it can impose any civil penalties on someone accused of campaign finance laws or refer the matter to the DOJ for criminal charges. On their face, following those procedures take, and minimum months; in practice, they often take years.

As for the DOJ, here's a recent example: on December 31, 2019, Lynda Bennett violated campaign finance law by accepting a contribution made by one person in the name of another person, exceeding the individual campaign donation limit. It was not until January 27, 2023 -- more than four years later -- that DOJ, after completing its investigation, reached a plea agreement with Bennett and based on that plea agreement brought criminal charges against Bennett; on March 8, 2023, she entered a guilty plea pursuant to that plea agreement. She is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20, with the most likely result being probation.

That's the real world.