NY Rep.-elect Santos investigated for lying about his past
Long Island prosecutors are investigating U.S. Rep. elect George Santos of New York. This follows revelations that the troubled Republican lied about his education, heritage and professional history while he was running for office.
Despite growing doubts about his ability to hold the federal office, Santos has not shown any signs of quitting — even though he admitted to a number of lies.
Anne T. Donnelly (Nassau County District Attorney) said that the inconsistencies and fabrications were “nothing less than stunning.”
She stated that residents of Nassau County, and other parts of the Third District, must have an honest representative in Congress. “If there is a crime committed in this County, we will pursue it.”
|
The campaign of Santos did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Next Tuesday’s U.S. House meeting will see him sworn in. He could be subject to investigation by the House Committee on Ethics or the Justice Department if he takes office.
In a tweet Wednesday regarding a trip to the U.S., Santos indicated that he doesn’t plan to stand down. Merchant Marine Academy was earlier in the day.
The tweet stated, “In Congress I look forward to working with them to fully utilize the amazing resource we possess in our backyard in #NY03,”
Although the Republican admitted lying about his Jewish ancestry, Wall Street pedigree, and a college education, he has not addressed other questions, such as how he amassed what appears to have been a rapidly growing fortune despite recent financial difficulties, including evictions, and owing thousands of back rent.
Nick Lalota (long island Republican) said that he was disturbed by the revelations.
Lalota stated Tuesday that he believes that the House Ethics Committee should conduct a thorough investigation and, if necessary law enforcement.
New York’s attorney general has stated that it is investigating any issues.
Brendan Brosh spoke on Wednesday for the Nassau County DA’s office. He said: “We are investigating the matter.” However, the scope of the investigation is not yet clear.
Santos was criticized by other Republicans, but they did not ask him to resign.
“Congressman-Elect George Santos broke the public trust through making serious misstatements about his background, education and experience, among other issues,” stated Joseph G. Cairo (chair of the Nassau County Republican Committee), which is located within the 3rd Congressional District.
After The New York Times investigated the narrative Santos (34), presented to voters during his successful campaign in a congressional district that straddled Long Island’s north shore suburbs and a small portion of Queens, questions grew.
The Times discovered records from Brazil showing that Santos was under investigation in Brazil in 2008 for allegedly using stolen checks to purchase items in a clothing shop in Niteroi. Santos was 19 years old at the time. According to The Times, local prosecutors stated that the case was inactive because Santos hadn’t appeared in court.
Santos denied that he was being sought in South America by authorities.
Democrats stormed in, calling Santos a serial fabulist, and demanding that he not voluntarily take office.
Santos, in an interview with The New York Post this week, apologized for his fabrications, but said that they were “sins” rather than embellishing his resume. He also stated that “we do stupid stuff in life.”
He also admitted lying about his work for Citigroup or Goldman Sachs.
Santos’s resume is not the only thing that is in question. His grandparents claimed that he “fled Jewish persecutions in Ukraine, settled in Belgium and fled persecution during WWII.”
During his campaign, the candidate referred to himself “a proud American Jew.”
He later retracted his claim that he had never claimed Jewish heritage. This would have increased his appeal to the significant Jewish voters in his district.
He said to the Post, “I am Catholic.” “Because my maternal family was Jewish, I declared that I was Jewish-ish.
The Republican Jewish Coalition reaffirmed Santos’s denial in a Tuesday statement.
“He deceived and misrepresented our heritage.” The coalition stated that he had previously claimed to have been Jewish in public comments and to them personally. “He will not welcome at any future RJC events.”
Tulsi Gabbard (ex-Hawaii Rep.) questioned Santos on Fox News Tuesday night. She was substituting Tucker Carlson.
She said to him, “You don’t seem to take this seriously.”
“You have apologized and said that you made mistakes but you are outright lying. She said that a lie is not an embellishment to a resume.
Santos responded, “Look, you agree with what I’m saying.” “We can discuss my resume and how it was done with companies such as -.
Gabbard asked, “Is it disputable?” Gabbard interjected, “Or is it simply false?”
He said, “No, it is not false at all.” “It’s debatable.”
Santos was unsuccessful in his 2020 attempt to run for Congress, but he won the second race this year.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee found many red flags in Santos’s record. However, it also accepted some of Santos’s assertions, including those regarding his education, as fact. The dossier, which was 87 pages long, sought to link him to the Jan. 6, insurrection at U.S. Capitol as well as his support for the baseless claims that there has been widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential elections. He was also depicted as a far-right candidate in the report. The DCCC included in its report concerns about his financial stability and multiple evictions, which left him with thousands of dollars of debt.
Federal campaign records indicate that he borrowed more than $700,000. However, the source of this money is still unknown.
Robert Zimmerman, his Democratic opponent, tried to raise Santos’ misrepresentations in his losing campaign but it failed to gain much traction.
Zimmerman said Santos was unfit to serve and called for him’s resignation so that a special election could be held.
1 Comment
Linda Xarhis
Posted on December 29, 2022 at 10:15 am
If Danang Dick, Pocahontas Warren and ly’in Biden step down, then maybe Santos should. Otherwise, let it be!