Congressman-elect George Santos is being investigated by federal prosecutors. He has been getting a lot of bad press lately as journalists dug deep into his professional and personal biography.
Ending the speculations, Santos admitted to lying about his education, professional background, heritage, and property ownership during his campaign and on his website. However, in spite of his lies, he said he is determined to take an oath of office on January 3, 2023, and join the House of Representatives.
Santos was elected in November in the midterm elections to represent northern Long Island and northeast Queens, New York. While confirming some of the key findings of a New York Times investigation, he tried to minimize the allegations by saying that his sin was “embellishing” his resume.
While campaigning, Santos claimed that he had worked with major investment banks, including Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, but neither company could verify his employment there.
He also said that he had a graduate degree from Baruch College and attended New York University. On Monday, Santos admitted he had not graduated college at all.
“I didn’t graduate from any institution of higher learning, I’m embarrassed for embellishing my resume,” he said. “I own up to that… we do stupid things in life.”
Santos was also accused of making up stories on his campaign website. He said that his mother was Jewish and that his grandparents escaped Nazi persecution during WW II. He now admits he is Catholic, and his grandmother, though Jewish, converted to Catholicism. In his defense, he says he didn’t say he was Jewish, but “Jew-ish.”
Another issue was his sexual orientation after one of the newspapers reported that he was married to a woman before his first race for Congress in 2020. Santos said that he was married to a woman between 2012 to 2017 before his divorce, but now he is a happily married gay man.
“I can’t deny it, I dated women in the past, and I got married. It’s personal stuff,” he said, adding that the “relationship got a bit toxic. But now, I’m very much gay, and I’m okay with my sexuality. People do change, and I’m one of those people,” he said.
Santos also acknowledged that he owed a former landlord $12,000 and “forgot” about paying him back.
He admitted to lying that he owned 13 different real estate properties and that he actually lives with his sister in Huntington, Long Island.
When asked about alleged criminal charges filed in Brazil, Santos fought back. He said he has never been a criminal in Brazil or any other place, and what is claimed didn’t happen.
The newly elected Congressman said that his lying would not impact his effectiveness in representing New Yorkers.
It remains to be seen if the voters agree.
