Giada Amendolara '25
The New York Times reported in December 2022 that “Mr. Santos, a Republican from New York, says he’s the ‘embodiment of the American dream.’” But, it appears that Santos has misrepresented a number of his career highlights. The New York Times found that he did not graduate from Baruch College, he did not work for Goldman Sachs or Citigroup, and there was no proof that he was a successful financier. The New York Times also revealed that Santos had intentionally lied about many other parts of his life, including claims that his grandparents were Ukrainian Jewish Holocaust survivors, and that he was Jewish and gay. They also alleged that he had been charged with check fraud in Brazil.
George Santos was elected to Congress in November, defeating Democratic challenger Robert Zimmerman with 53.8% of the vote in his New York district. George Santos represents New York’s 3rd Congressional district, which includes parts of northern Nassau County and northeast Queens. The win was important to the Republican Party because it helped Republicans win a majority in Congress. The New York Post reports that Robert Zimmerman called on the “lying Long Island Republican to resign and run against him again in a special election. We call upon Congress and demand Congress conduct a House ethics investigation into George Santos.”
According to Forbes Magazine, George Santos has admitted to some of the lies, but downplayed them, claiming he added a “little bit of fluff” to his resume. But has denied that his actions were illegal. “I am not a criminal,” George Santos told the New York Post in December. “My sins here are embellishing my resume. I’m sorry.” Santos spoke about the allegations that he is not Jewish, and Santos acknowledged that he is Catholic, but told the Post that “his grandmother used to tell him stories about how she was Jewish but converted to Catholicism. “I never claimed to be Jewish,” Santos told the Post. “I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’”
According to ABC News, “New York Democratic Reps. Daniel Goldman and Ritchie Torres filed an official complaint with the House Committee on Ethics calling for an investigation into New York Republican Rep. George Santos.” The complaints include hiding his ethnicity and the true source of his campaign’s funding, misrepresenting his campaign’s spending, and using campaign resources to cover personal expenses. The complaint against Santos could start an investigation by the Federal Election Commission.
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