George Santos controversy spurs calls for campaign finance reform in Virginia

New York Congressman George Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives and faces federal indictment. But Virginia legislators noted some of the campaign spending crimes he’s accused of are legal in the Commonwealth.

A report from the Congressional Committee on Ethics found Santos used campaign funds for expenses like Botox, designer shoes, and even subscriptions to the porn website OnlyFans. But after the report was released Virginia Democratic Delegate Marcus Simon was quick to point something out: similar personal use of campaign funds by elected officials isn’t illegal under state law.

“You have people who buy stuff with their credit card and put on their campaign finance report ‘Visa bill,’" Simon said. "Okay what did you use that Visa bill to buy?”

According to a 2015 report requested by then-governor Terry McAuliffe, Virginia is one of three states that permits the personal use of campaign funds. The report included recommended fixes in line with what Simon and others have proposed in the past: bring the state in line with federal election laws.

“If the expense would exist even in the absence of the candidacy or even if the officeholder were not in office, then the personal use ban applies,” reads the Federal Election Commission’s guidance on the issue.

Notably, Virginia is the home of the first campaign finance law.