New York officials probe George Santos, congressman-elect with fabricated resume

WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) – A New York prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday it was investigating the conduct of George Santos, a Republican who fabricated much of his resume and life story before his November election to the House of US Representatives.

Anne Donnelly, the district attorney for Nassau County, said the allegations that have surfaced in recent days about Santos were serious.

“The numerous inconsistencies and inconsistencies associated with Congressman-elect Santos are nothing short of stunning,” Donnelly, a Republican, said in a statement.

“Residents of Nassau County and other parts of the Third District deserve an honest and accountable representative in Congress,” she added. No one is above the law and if a crime is committed in this county, we will prosecute it.

Brendan Brosh, a spokesman for Donnelly’s office, would not provide any details about the lines of inquiry or otherwise elaborate.

“We are looking into the matter,” he said, when asked about Santos’ fabrications.

Santos, whose representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment, was elected last month in an affluent neighborhood on New York’s Long Island. It was a bright spot for Republicans in what was otherwise a weak election night for the party.

The race drew a lot of attention after both front-runners self-identified as gay, and Santos was the first non-incumbent Republican who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ community to win a seat in the House of Representatives.

But reporting by the New York Times and other media outlets in recent weeks has called into question nearly every element of Santos’ life story.

Among other claims, Santos said he had degrees from New York University and Baruch College, despite neither institution having records of his attendance. He claimed to have worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, which was also untrue.

He falsely said he was Jewish and that his grandparents were saved by the Nazis during World War II, and he failed to disclose that he was married to a woman for several years ending in 2019.

In recent days, Santos has apologized for “embellishing” his CV, while defending some aspects of the way he had represented himself.

For example, he has described himself as “Jewish” rather than “Jewish” when discussing his heritage, telling the New York Post that he described himself that way because “his maternal family had a Jewish background.”

The district he will represent, which includes parts of Long Island and parts of Queens, is predominantly Jewish.

Some congressional Democrats have called on Santos to resign, and he has also faced heat from some Republicans. However, Republican leaders, including top House Republican Kevin McCarthy, have remained silent on the issue.

Reporting by Gram Slattery; additional reporting by Moira Warburton Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Alistair Bell

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