Representative-elect George Santos, RN.Y., agreed Monday He lied about his work experience and college education During his successful campaign for a seat in the US House.
In an interview New York Post, Santos said: “My sins here embellish my resume. I’m sorry.”
He added to the newspaper: “I campaigned by talking about people’s concerns, not my application” and added that “I want to fulfill the promises I made during the campaign.”
The New York Times Santos, 34, drew questions last week about the life story he presented during his campaign.
A spokeswoman for Santos’ 2022 campaign responded Tuesday, saying, “As a millennial, George did what he had to do to avoid the smear campaigns put forth by elite organizations like the New York Times.” Gabriel Lipsky, a spokesman, said the Times had “shamefully opened the season against the first openly gay Congressman,” though Santos was not the first gay Congressman, nor the first openly gay Congressman.
“Santos is fully committed to his decisive victory in Congress and to being the voice of New York’s Third District,” Lipsky said. “Santos is strong and he’s very willing to stand up and make people work.”
Joseph Cairo, Jr., chairman of the Nassau County Republican Committee, which covers much of Santos’ district, said in a statement that Santos had “broken the public trust” and that Santos “will continue to prove he has learned.” lesson.” But Cairo did not call on Santos to step down.
“He has a lot of work to do to regain the trust of voters and everyone he represents in Congress,” Cairo said. But Cairo Santos said “we need to do the public will in Washington. Residents need him to provide tax relief and pass laws that make our neighborhoods and our country safer.”
Santos, who lives in Queens, said he graduated from Baruch College in New York, but on Monday he admitted: “I didn’t graduate from any institution of higher learning. I’m ashamed and sorry for embellishing my resume. .”
He added: “I own it. … We do stupid things in life.”
A spokesperson for Baruch College previously told CBS News that no record of his visit could be found.
Santos had said he worked at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, but representatives from both companies told CBS News last week that they could not confirm Santos’ employment.
Santos told the Post that he had “never worked directly” with any financial institution, adding that he “made a poor choice of words.”
He told the Post that Link Bridge, the investment firm where he was vice president, had done business with both.
An earlier version of Santos’ campaign website stated that “George Antony began working as a partner at Citigroup and quickly rose to associate asset manager in the firm’s real estate division,” and the next paragraph read, “George Antony was then offered an exciting opportunity with Goldman Sachs but the pinnacle of his career.” What he envisioned did not materialize as he had hoped.” No bank is currently named on his website.
Another news outlet is the Jewish American News site forward, Santos’ campaign website questioned whether his grandparents “fled Jewish persecution in the Ukraine, immigrated to Belgium, and again fled persecution during World War II.” It said records show his grandparents were born in Brazil.
“I never Said to be a Jew,” Santos told the Post. “I’m Catholic. I said ‘Jewish’ because I know that my maternal family has a Jewish background.”
CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition Matt Brooks said in a statement Tuesday Santos “deceived” them and misrepresented his heritage in public comments and told them “in private, he was Jewish.” “He will not be welcome at any RJC event in the future,” Brooks said.
Santos first ran for Congress in 2020 and lost. He ran again in 2022, winning a district that includes some Long Island suburbs and a small part of Queens.
Caitlin Hew-Burns contributed to this report.
