According to Republican representative George Santos, the fact about education and family background does not prevent him from serving as a congressman.
Newly elected Republican congressman George Santos has apologized after lying about his education and work experience.
– My sin is that I embellished my resume. I’m sorry, said Santos, who was elected from the state of New York To New York Post (you will switch to another service).
Santos was elected to the United States Congress in the November 8 midterm elections. Santos took the seat from the Democrats after the Republicans narrowly won the lower house of Congress.
Allegations of falsification of Santos’ biography were first made in the New York Times (you will switch to another service) last week. At the time, Santos’ lawyer denied allegations that he misrepresented his place of study and work history. Among other things, Santos had claimed to have worked for high-profile financial firms Goldman Sachs and Citygroup.
Today, Santos admitted to the New York Post that he had never worked directly for either company. Santos blamed the poor choice of words on a misunderstanding and said he worked for a firm that had done business with Goldman Sachs and Citygroup.
Santos also admitted that he never graduated from any higher education. He had previously claimed to have graduated from New York’s Baruch College in 2010.
– I have not graduated from any university. I am ashamed and sorry that I embellished my resume… We do stupid things in our lives, Santos said.
Santos also admitted that he spoke vaguely about his family background. Santos’s campaign page said his mother was Jewish and his grandparents fled the Nazis during World War II.
Santos now told the New York Post that he is clearly Catholic. However, she defended herself by telling her grandmother’s stories, according to which the grandmother had a Jewish background, but had converted to Catholicism in time.
“Lying does not hinder the work of a congressman”
However, according to Santos, the lie that has come to light will not prevent him from serving as a congressman for the next two years. Santos told the New York Post that he is not a criminal and vowed to be efficient and good as a representative.
Santos’ Democratic Party opponent Robert Zimmerman accused Santos on Twitter of anti-Semitism after information about his family background became public.
– Lying about the connection to the Holocaust and using it to advance a political career is an extreme example of anti-Semitism, Zimmerman tweeted.
Earlier, Zimmerman demanded that the Department of Justice hold Santos accountable for his lying. In another tweet, Zimmerman called for Santos to resign and run a separate election against him again.
– Face the voters with your real past… Let the voters choose, Zimmerman tweeted.
Santos told the New York Post that he campaigned on people’s concerns, not his resume.
– I intend to redeem the promises I made during the campaign, Santos said.
Santos is scheduled to take the oath of office on January 3, along with other members of the House of Representatives.