Six weeks after George Santos, 34, was elected as New York’s representative, several media outlets were able to report that he had lied about his previous job, education, finances and family background.
Santos is one of very few openly gay Republican congressmen, and the first of Brazilian descent.
Santos’ lawyer initially came out calling the revelations “a barrage of attacks” and “defamatory allegations”.
A week later, Santos admitted large portions of the lies.
– My sins here are that I embellished my resume, Santos told the newspaper New York Post on Monday.
Leading opposition politicians are now calling on Santos, who also lied during his failed 2020 election campaign, to step down.
– We do stupid things in life
On November 8, Santos was elected as New York’s representative, and helped shift control of the House of Representatives to the Republican side.
The young congressman now acknowledges that he did not work with major financial players Goldman Sachs and Citigroup in 2011 and 2012, he claims.
At the time, the rep was working at a call center in Queens, he confirms to the radio channel wabc.
The Republican further maintains that he has no education from New York University and Baruch College, where he claims to have studied finance and economics until 2010.
The universities found no trace of Santos’ whereabouts when contacted New York times.
I don’t have university degrees. I’m embarrassed and sorry for sprucing up my resume. We do stupid things in life, comments Santos in the interview with The Post.
Santos also alleged that the family owned 13 different properties. Now he admits to not owning a single home.
Former friends told the Times they were surprised he would have homes from Brazil to the resort town of Nantucket, at the same time he was living in a rented house in Queens with his sister and mother.
George Santos campaigns in Glen Cove, New York, ahead of the US midterm elections.
Photo: Mary Altaffer/AP
He denies that he lied about his Jewish origin
Santos, on the other hand, condemns revelations from CNN and the Jewish media straight ahead He misled the public about his Jewish background.
– I didn’t say I was Jewish. I am Catholic. “Because I knew my mother’s family had a Jewish background, I said I was Jewish,” Santos told the New York Post.
Santos had claimed to be “half-Jewish” and “Latino-Jewish”. His campaign website stated that Santos’ maternal grandparents were Ukrainian Jews who had fled holocaust.
Santos has referred to his Jewish background several times in his political career.
– My ancestors survived the Holocaust, so these systems with socialism and Marxism don’t work, and a lot of suffering follows, and we see that now with what’s happening in Ukraine with the Russians, Santos said in interview In May this year.
Santos also campaigned aggressively in New York’s orthodox Jewish community. Among other things, he participated in a religious event just before Election Day. 20 percent of the voters in Santos’ constituency are Jewish.
The Forward reported last week that the genealogy website my heritage It shows that Santos’ maternal grandparents were born in Brazil. Location FamilySearch He explains that Santos’ grandfather also lived in Brazil.
Genealogists CNN spoke to said there was no evidence for Santos’ claims.
There is also no trace of the Santos family in the databases of the Holocaust Museums in Jerusalem or Washington, D.C., which contain lists of Jewish refugees from Europe.
Outgoing Congressional Speaker Nancy Pelosi was among those calling for Santos to step down.
Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Democrats are calling for Santos to step down
There is currently no indication that Santos will not assume the new position of Congressional Representative as of January 3, 2023.
Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and new Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffreys have both called for Santos to step down.
But Republicans, who now control the House of Representatives, declined to comment on the matter.
Congress can only prevent candidates from taking office if they violate the Constitution’s age, citizenship, and residential address requirements.
At the same time, Santos could risk an ethics investigation after being sworn in, legal experts told The New York Times.
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