According to recent revelations, U.S. Rep.-elect George Santos, R-N.Y., lied about his heritage, education and professional pedigree during his campaign.
The mainstream media have accused Republican leaders of remaining silent on this issue.
“They’re mostly silent at this point. Some have called for investigation by the House Ethics Committee, but none are saying that Santos shouldn’t be sworn in,” NPR’s Brian Mann said on a podcast Thursday. “Santos promised to back [Rep. Kevin McCarhty, R-Calif.] for House speaker. McCarthy’s still scrambling to round up enough GOP support to win that post. So, despite this controversy, Santos could wind up being a really key vote next week.”
However, the Republicans are the ones promising to investigate Santos.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, a Republican, said the fabrications and inconsistencies were “nothing short of stunning.”
“The residents of Nassau County and other parts of the third district must have an honest and accountable representative in Congress,” she said. “If a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it.”
A spokesperson for the Nassau County DA’s office, Brendan Brosh, said Wednesday: “We are looking into the matter.”
The prosecutors declined to specify the scope of the investigation, but they may be planning to investigate the source of Santos’ campaign funds.
After all, Santos appears to have amassed a fortune rather quickly. He loaned his campaign more than $700,000, according to federal records obtained by the Associated Press. Before that, he had reportedly suffered multiple evictions and owed thousands of dollars in back rent.
Local prosecutors in Brazil told The New York Times that Santos has faced a 2008 investigation for check fraud in the country. Santos denies this allegation.
The federal prosecutor for Brooklyn, one of President Joe Biden’s appointees, is also probing Santos over his finances, one insider told the paper.
Despite remaining silent on the source of his money, Santos has publicly admitted to a long list of lies. He admitted to lying about working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, as well as having earned a degree in finance and economics from Baruch College in New York.
Beyond his resume, Santos invented a life story that has also come under question, including claims that his grandparents “fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII.”
During his campaign, he referred to himself as “a proud American Jew.”
He backtracked on that claim, saying he never intended to claim Jewish heritage, which would have likely raised his appeal among his district’s significant ranks of Jewish voters.
“I am Catholic,” he told the Post. “Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’”
In a statement Tuesday, the Republican Jewish Coalition repudiated Santos.
“He deceived us and misrepresented his heritage. In public comments and to us personally he previously claimed to be Jewish,” the coalition said. “He will not be welcome at any future RJC event.”
Still, Santos has shown no signs of stepping aside.
He is scheduled to be sworn in next Tuesday, when the U.S. House reconvenes. If he assumes office, he could face investigations by the House Committee on Ethics and the Justice Department.
Fellow Long Island Republican, Rep.-elect Nick Lalota, said he was troubled by the revelations.
“I believe a full investigation by the House Ethics Committee and, if necessary, law enforcement, is required,” Lalota said Tuesday.
Some Republicans have castigated Santos but stopped short of asking him to step aside.
“Congressman-Elect George Santos has broken the public trust by making serious misstatements regarding his background, experience and education, among other issues,” said Joseph G. Cairo, chair of the Nassau County Republican Committee, which is within the Santos’ congressional district.
Of course, the Democrats have also tried to pounce on Santos, but they’ve been failing.
In its opposition research on Santos, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised several red flags about the Republican’s record — but also accepted some of his assertions, including his educational record, as fact. The 87-page dossier sought to tie him to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and to depict him as an extremist. But buried within its report, the DCCC had raised issues about his shaky financial standing, like the reported debts and evictions.
His Democratic opponent, Robert Zimmerman, also tried to raise Santos’ misrepresentations during his losing campaign, but he didn’t gain much traction.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.