Photo: John Locher/AP Photo
Democrats are calling on U.S. Rep.-electGeorge Santosto resign before he is sworn in next week, following the incoming lawmaker’s confirmation that he lied about several aspects of his past — including his education, career and religious background.
On Monday Santos, 34, toldThe New York Postthathe lied aboutworking at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and confirmed that he had also embellished his education, noting that he did not attend Baruch College or New York University as he’d previously claimed.
“I didn’t graduate from any institution of higher learning,” Santos said on Monday to thePost. “I’m embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume. I own up to that … we do stupid things in life.”
While Santos said the lies would not stop him from taking the oath of office on Jan. 3, House Democrats are calling on him to resign.
California Rep.Ted Lieu, who will soon be vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, wrote on Twitter: “GOP Congressman-elect George Santos, who has now admitted his whopping lies, should resign. If he does not, then @GOPLeader should call for a vote to expel @Santos4Congress.”
Texas Rep.Joaquin Castroechoed Lieu, adding that Santos should also be investigated over his claims.
Speaking to thePost, Santos also denied that he had previously claimed he was Jewish, after a report from Jewish newspaperForwardcalled into questionwhether his grandparents were actually Jewish immigrantswho fled persecution duringWorld War II, as his website had previously claimed.
“George’s grandparents fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII,“Santos' website readlast week. (The About page containing the information has since been removed from his site.)
“I never claimed to be Jewish,” Santos toldThe Post. “I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was ‘Jew-ish.'”
George Santos.Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty
But some questions about Santos’ past remain unanswered — including thoseregarding his financial backing.
According to theTimes, Santos was a call center employee for Dish Network in 2012, found that his family frequently struggled to pay rent in Queens over the years, borrowed thousands of dollars from a friend which the acquaintance said he never repaid.
By 2020, Santos had launched a run for the house, stating in a financial disclosure that year that he had no assets and no earned income.
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In an on-camera interview withCity and State NYon Monday, Santos claimed he “started building wealth” after opening a company called the Devolder Organization, saying: “it just worked because I had the relationships and I started making a lot of money. And I fundamentally started building wealth.”
When he entered politics, he told the radio show, “I decided I’d invest in my race for Congress. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
According toThe Washington Post, documents filed with the Florida secretary of state show that the company — which Santos has said is a privately-held family firm — was organized just one month before the Republican declared his latest candidacy in 2021.
source: people.com
