The prosecution in one of the districts of New York announced tonight (Thursday) that it will open an investigation regarding the member of the Federal House of Representatives, George Santos, who lied about his life history. Among his false claims he said that he worked for top companies on Wall Street and that he was of Jewish origin.
According to a report in the Washington Post, the district attorney in the district announced the opening of an investigation into the case of the elected member of the US House of Representatives, George Santos from the Republican Party. The decision was made after it became clear after his surprising victory in the elections that he had lied about his business experience, his educational background, and his family background.
The Nassau County District Attorney said in a statement: “The many fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Santos are astounding, the people of the county must have honest and responsible representation in Congress.” She added, “If a crime was committed here, we will be sued.”
A major Republican Jewish organization in the United States said it was disappointed that he lied about being Jewish. The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), which is known for its large donations to the Republican Party, also banned Santos from attending events it holds.
RJC CEO Matt Brooks said in response: “He deceived us and twisted his legacy. He said publicly and privately that he was Jewish. Santos started his term in Congress off on the wrong foot. He will no longer be welcomed at RJC events.”
The 34-year-old Santos claimed on his website that his maternal grandparents were Jews who fled Eastern Europe during World War II before settling in Brazil. However, some news organizations have questioned these claims. According to them, genealogical documents of Santos’ grandfathers show that they were born in Brazil before the Nazis came to power.
Santos told The Post that he is “Catholic” and that his grandmother told him stories about being Jewish before she converted to Christianity. “I never claimed to be Jewish. I am Catholic. Because my grandmother told me about her Jewish background, I said I was ‘a kind of Jew’.”
In addition, his biography states that he graduated in 2010 from studying economics at the prestigious Baruch College in New York, and later worked at two of the leading banks on Wall Street: Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. In an investigation by the “New York Times”, which examined Santos’ impressive resume, it was written that representatives from the two banks were asked about him – and at the end of an investigation they said that there was no record that he actually worked for them. In addition, there is no proof that a student named George Santos graduated from Baruch College in 2010.
His lawyer, Joseph Murray, wrote in response: “George Santos represents the type of front that is very threatening to the left – a Latino, a first-generation American and a Republican who won in a Biden constituency. It is not surprising that Congressman-elect Santos has enemies in the New York Times, who are trying to discredit his good name.”
He later clarified that he had only “polished” his resume, said that he was not a criminal and claimed that he had only made a mistake. “I did not graduate from any institution of higher education. I am embarrassed and apologize. I confess. We do stupid things in life.”