George Santos is under investigation in New York

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George Santos is under investigation in New York

COMMENTARY

The Nassau County District Attorney announced that she is opening an investigation into newly elected Republican George Santos (RN.Y.), whose surprise victory in November was quickly followed by revelations that he lied about his business experience, educational background and family background.

District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly (R) said in a statement: “The numerous inconsistencies and inconsistencies associated” with Santos “are nothing short of stunning.” Residents in the congressional district “must have an honest and accountable representative in Congress” and “if a crime is committed in this district, we will prosecute it.” Donnelly’s spokesman, Brendan Brosh, said in a statement, “We are looking into this matter.”

Days after an explosive New York Times story on Dec. 19 detailed lies Santos told about his background, Santos gave a handful of interviews in which he admitted he was untruthful about having worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and graduated the college. He said he never claimed to be Jewish, despite previous public comments about his heritage.

Also unclear is the exact source of the $700,000 Santos claimed to have loaned his 2022 campaign, just two years after filing a financial disclosure report during an unsuccessful 2020 congressional race that declared he had no assets large or earned income.

Santos and his representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

George Santos’ Fraud Rate – and Questions Remaining

News of the investigation came after another detail in Santos’ biography was revealed on Wednesday.

During his 2020 race for Congress, he told a dramatic story on a podcast about how the prestigious private school he attended refused to help his struggling family months before his graduation.

IN October 2020 interview, which resurfaced on social media Wednesday, Santos, referring to his parents, said: “They sent me to a good prep school — which was Horace Mann Prep in the Bronx. And in my last year of prep school, unfortunately, my parents fell on hard times.” Santos went on to say that at the time his family could not “afford a $2,500 tuition” and “I dropped out of school [with] Four months until graduation.”

But a Horace Mann school spokesman told The Post that the school has no record of Santos attending the institution.

After contacting the school and giving them several variations of Santos’ name that he has used in public, Ed Adler, a spokesman for Horace Mann, wrote in an email, “George Santos or any of the aliases you [cite] I have never participated in HM.”

Analysis: George Santos’ cheating rate – and the questions that remain

In November, Santos won an open Long Island congressional seat held by a Democrat. With that victory, Santos made headlines as the first non-presidential openly gay Republican to be elected to Congress. He also falsely described himself as Jewish and a fantastically successful businessman.

Amidst that new attention, Santos’ story was revealed.

Santos admits to ‘resumé embellishment’ but answers little about the finances

Some Democrats have called for Santos not to sit as a member of Congress next week. House Republican leaders have remained largely silent on the issue, as Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) seeks enough votes to become Speaker of the House when Republicans take control of the chamber when his term begins. again on Tuesday.

Rep. incumbent Michael Lawler (R), who defeated a Democratic incumbent in a suburb north of New York City, said in a statement On Wednesday, “With multiple federal, state and local investigations apparently underway, Mr. Santos must cooperate fully if he is to regain the trust of his constituents and colleagues.” A spokesman for the New York attorney general’s office said last week that it is looking into the issues raised by the report about Santos. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York, whose jurisdiction includes Long Island, declined to comment.

Bruce Blakeman — the Nassau County executive — told CNN on Wednesday that Santos needs to address the “emotional issues” that led to his lie. “A normal person wouldn’t do that,” said Blakeman, a Republican.

In the video released Wednesday, Santos reveals a shocking story about his education that even his interviewers at the time seemed to question.

A man in the video, who is identified on the screen as Bill Cannon, told Santos: “Wait a minute, George. Horace Mann wouldn’t hit you with a scholarship?

Santos replied, “Unfortunately at the time, I wasn’t the only student going through the same issue.”

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