U.S. House Representative-Elect George Santos (R) of the Nassau-Queens-based Third Congressional District is kicking off his first term in Congress with mounting calls to resign.
Little was known about Santos as he ran a decent campaign against Representative Tom Suozzi (D) in 2020. Coming up about 10 points short in a district that wasn’t on the radar in a Presidential year is a difficult feat. Since then, the district was redrawn to become more competitive and Suozzi forewent the seat in an unsuccessful bid for Governor of New York.
Throughout the 2022 campaign, Santos boasted a rather impressive resume: a graduate of Baruch College in NYC, operator of an animal rescue group, owner (with his family) of thirteen properties, and former employee of Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.
In a biographical profile on the Republican National Congressional Committee’s website, Santos claimed to have “attended Baruch College and NYU where he got degrees in finance and economics.”
Additionally, he touted his genealogy as one of a classic American Dream story. He kicked off his campaign in a 2021 launch video by claiming he’s “seen how socialism destroys people’s lives because my grandparents survived the Holocaust.” In the video, he claims that his Jewish family escaped Nazi persecution in Ukraine, and later Belgium, and fled to Brazil. He dubbed himself a “proud American Jew” who had “been to Israel numerous times.”
Finally, his status as an openly gay politician allowed him to advertise himself as a truly unique variety of Republican.
Unfortunately for his constituents, House leadership, GOP PACs and donors who were involved in his campaign, it would appear Santos slightly embellished his resume.
It turns out that Santos has no college education at all. Neither Baruch nor NYU can substantiate his claims as neither school has his name in their records. Goldman Sachs and Citigroup are unable to corroborate his claims of employment with their records. He owns no properties at all. And ancestry records obtained show that Santos’ mother’s parents were born in Brazil before the Nazis occupied Germany and are not of Ukrainian or Jewish descent.
His lukewarm admission can be summed up by his sparse words regarding each facet of his dishonesty. His main defense: “We all do stupid things.”
In a Fox News interview with Former Democratic Congresswoman of Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard, he claimed his alleged work experience was “stated poorly,” and that to explain the intricacies of his work would “go way above the American people’s heads.” Gabbard called his excuse “insulting.” A more insulting fabrication is that of his Jewish heritage. He explains he was raised Catholic and taught by his family of his Jewish heritage, making him what he flippantly claims “Jew-ish.” He says that he learned of his Jewish lineage from his grandmother and that he “never claimed to be Jewish.”
However, the most insulting revelation is that of his alleged stake in the Pulse nightclub shooting that shocked the nation back in 2016. In a radio interview with WNYC radio, he condemned the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado, “just much like at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016, which I happened to, at the time, have people that work for me in the club.”
None of the 49 victims of the shooting in Orlando worked at any of the companies Santos has listed in his resume.
The buck doesn’t stop with his embarrassing destruction of rapport with an incoming GOP House majority. Criminal investigations are now pending due to the dubious nature of his campaign and personal finance records.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly (R) has called Santos’ lies as “nothing short of stunning.” He is being investigated by the Nassau County District Attorney, New York Attorney General, and federal prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York. The main question stems from a New York Times report. The report found that Santos self-funded $700,000 of his 2022 campaign, despite his 2020 income being just $55,000.
Furthermore, campaign finance records imply multimillion-dollar earnings in 2021. As of Tuesday, reports show Santos made a $25,000 contribution to Lee Zeldin’s (R) 2022 gubernatorial campaign, and then later reimbursed himself with donations from his PAC.
Additionally, law enforcement officers in Brazil are looking to revive fraud charges that go back to 2008. They are seeking a “formal response” from Santos regarding a stolen checkbook. The investigation was suspended because Brazilian authorities were unable to locate him for nearly a decade. National sources have also confirmed a 2011 embezzlement charge in Brazil. Similar to the 2008 fraud charge, the 2011 incident was archived due to the inability for the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice to locate Santos.
Congressman Nick LaLota of the First District, sworn in on Tuesday, has called for the House Ethics Committee to launch an investigation into now- Congressman Santos. He is one of the first prominent Republicans to call for a probe into the freshman Representative.
“House Republicans like me are eager to be sworn in and focus on our Commitment to America and our respective districts. Yet, over the last few weeks I have heard from countless Long Islanders how deeply troubled they are by the headlines surrounding George Santos. As a Navy man who campaigned on restoring accountability and integrity to our government, I believe a full investigation by the House Ethics Committee and, if necessary, law enforcement, is required. New Yorkers deserve the truth and House Republicans deserve an opportunity to govern without this distraction.” — Nick LaLota – NY-01
Congressman Anthony D’Esposito of the South Nassau-based Fourth District has also called Santos an “embarrassment.”
Congressman Andrew Garbarino of the Second District has not commented, assigning his reticence to his membership of an Ethics subcommittee.
Democratic Representative Ritchie Torres of the Bronx-based Fifteenth District has introduced legislation that would require federal candidates to disclose, under oath, certain aspects of their backgrounds. Aptly-named, the SANTOS Act stands for the “Stop Another Non-Truthful Office Seeker” Act.
Despite this, George Santos still assumed his new office on Tuesday, the first day of the 118th Congress. For the House to remove Santos, it would require a two-thirds vote within the chamber. The chances are likely slim-to- none, as Santos contributes to the razor-thin majority the GOP has going into the next legislative season. His first vote was one for Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the House, an election that already rests on tenuous and contentious lines.
According to Washington, D.C.-based sources, Santos sat alone on the Republican side of the chamber, while Garbarino, LaLota, and D’Esposito socialized and posed for photos with Kevin McCarthy.
Further complicating GOP efforts to consolidate power is Santos’ position in a swing seat that is also the wealthiest in the state and one of the wealthiest in the nation. His odds of being primaried are high and his situation is a rare one, in that incumbency is a massive liability rather than the baked-in advantage it usually is. GOP leadership certainly has egg on its face and will likely consult a wins-above-replacement model to gauge Santos’ chances in what’s likely to be a strong ear for Democratic downballot energy in a blue state during the Presidential contest in 2024.
As Santos has duped voters and donors alike, it remains to be seen how effective of a legislator he can be, a responsibility he still insists on fulfilling.
