Is George Santos even really named George Santos?
Santos, a Republican who was recently elected to represent portions of Long Island and New York City in the U.S. House, is facing evidence of lying about his educational, work, and personal backgrounds, in addition to serious questions about where he got hundreds of thousands of dollars he loaned to his campaign in the midterms that he appeared to contend in a new interview originated with income from a financial services firm he leads.
He claimed on a financial disclosure form filed with the House earlier this year that he was making a $750,000 yearly salary, although the financial data company Dun & Bradstreet estimated in July of this year — which is not that long ago! — that revenue at the firm on a presumably yearly basis was under $50,000. Adding to Santos’s potential legal troubles, he didn’t identify a single client on his House disclosures, despite requirements for identifying individual sources of more than $5,000 in income — rules that would apparently cover those paying into his supposedly wildly profitable company.
Joaquin Castro, a Democratic Congressman from Texas, wants Santos out, whether that’s through his resignation (which Santos’s commitment suggests he won’t be issuing) or his expulsion from the House once seated. “George Santos should resign as Congressman-elect,” Castro insisted. “If he refuses, Congress should expel him. He should also be investigated by authorities. Just about every aspect of his life appears to be a lie. We’ve seen people fudge their resume but this is total fabrication.”
Ritchie Torres, a Democrat currently representing part of New York in Congress, was also emphatic about looking into Santos. “BREAKING: George Santos admits his life story is a complete fabrication,” Torres said on Twitter this Monday. “His pitiful confession should not distract us from concerns about possible criminality and corruption. The Ethics Committee MUST investigate how he made his money. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
Santos admitted he didn’t graduate college despite previous campaign claims otherwise, and he admitted he never worked at Goldman Sachs or Citigroup, other contentions that circulated for which the companies couldn’t find any supporting evidence Santos was on staff there. There is more, though. He also claimed he led an animal rescue group holding a tax-exempt status, but the IRS couldn’t find records of that status for the org. He has contended his grandparents on his mother’s side fled Europe for Brazil amid 20th Century persecution of Jews around the continent, but there’s no supporting evidence these forebears of his were actually born there — although he’s specifically claimed grandparents of his “survived the Holocaust.” He said four employees of his died in the 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, for which there’s no supporting evidence, per reports. What is this guy’s deal?
“George Santos, a former call center employee falling behind on his rent, lent his campaign a staggering $705,000,” Torres added this week. “Where did all that money come from? The Ethics Committee MUST start investigating immediately.”
George Santos should resign as Congressman-elect. If he refuses, Congress should expel him. He should also be investigated by authorities.
Just about every aspect of his life appears to be a lie. We’ve seen people fudge their resume but this is total fabrication. https://t.co/HJ1cCzy72s
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) December 27, 2022
BREAKING: George Santos admits his life story is a complete fabrication. His pitiful confession should not distract us from concerns about possible criminality and corruption.
The Ethics Committee MUST investigate how he made his money. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) December 27, 2022
George Santos, a former call center employee falling behind on his rent, lent his campaign a staggering $705,000.
Where did all that money come from? The Ethics Committee MUST start investigating immediately.
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) December 27, 2022
