GOP Congressman-elect George Santos, from New York’s third district, admitted to lying about his personal life, and college and work history on Monday after a weeklong silence on a lengthy list of falsehoods.
After admitting “I didn’t graduate from any institution of higher learning,” Santos claimed he was simply “embellishing his resume.”
After his campaign touted him as the first openly gay Republican to win a U.S. House seat as a non-incumbent, Santos confirmed he was married to a woman for five years.
“I dated women in the past. I married a woman. It’s personal stuff,” he said, adding that he was “OK with my sexuality. People change.”
After repeatedly saying he was religiously Catholic but identified as a non-observant Jew, Santos downplayed reports that he misled voters about his Jewish ancestry.
“I never claimed to be Jewish,” Mr. Santos said. “I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’”
Santos admitted lying about graduating from college, claims about working for Citigroup or Goldman Sachs, and having a family owned, 13-property real estate portfolio.
“I am not a criminal,” Santos said at one point during his exclusive interview. “This [controversy] will not deter me from having good legislative success. I will be effective. I will be good.”
Democrats including Nancy Pelosi and Hakeem Jeffries have insisted that Santos is unfit for Congress, but top House Republicans have remained silent.
The House can only prevent candidates from taking office if they violate the Constitution’s age, citizenship and state residency requirements. Once he has been seated, however, Mr. Santos could face ethics investigations, legal experts have said.
There are serious questions about the financial disclosures of George Santos, where he reported earning millions of dollars from his company, the Devolder Organization.
Santos disclosed little about his company, and the New York Times could find no public assets or property tied to the firm; nor did Santos list any clients despite requirements that candidates list any compensation from a single source over $5,000.