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Incoming US congressman George Santos of New York is being investigated by Long Island prosecutors, authorities confirmed on Wednesday, after revelations surfaced that the now-embattled Republican had lied about having Jewish heritage, a college education and a Wall Street career as he campaigned during the recent midterm elections.
Key points:
- George Santos was elected to represent New York's third congressional district at the recent midterm elections
- The Republican claimed he had Jewish heritage, had worked for Goldman Sachs, and had a degree in economics, among other lies
- He has apologised for the fabrications, but intends to take his seat in Congress after saying "we do stupid things in life"
Despite intensifying doubt about his fitness to hold office, Mr Santos has shown no signs of stepping aside — even as he publicly admitted to a long list of lies.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne T Donnelly, a Republican, said the fabrications and inconsistencies in Mr Santos's background 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."
Mr Santos's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is scheduled to be sworn in next Tuesday, when the US House of Representatives reconvenes.
If he assumes office, he could face investigations by the House Committee on Ethics and the Justice Department.
Mr Santos has suggested he does not plan to step aside, in a Twitter post on Wednesday about a visit to the US Merchant Marine Academy earlier in the day.
"In Congress, I look forward to working alongside them to fully utilise this amazing resource we have in our own backyard in #NY03," the tweet said.
Colleagues call for answers
The Republican has admitted to lying about having Jewish ancestry, a Wall Street pedigree and a college degree, as well as claims he owned 13 properties and lost four employees in the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016.
But he has yet to address other lingering questions — including the source of what appears to be a quickly amassed fortune despite recent financial problems, including evictions and owing thousands in back rent.
A fellow Long Island Republican, Representative-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," Mr Lalota said Tuesday.
The New York attorney-general's office has already said it is looking into issues that have come to light.
A spokesperson for the Nassau County district attorney's office, Brendan Brosh, said the office was looking into the matter. The scope of the investigation was not immediately clear.
Meanwhile, other Republicans castigated Mr 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 third congressional district.
Questions about the congressman-elect's background intensified recently after The New York Times examined the narrative Mr Santos, 34, had presented to voters during his successful campaign for a district that straddles the north shore suburbs of Long Island and a sliver of Queens.
The Times uncovered records in Brazil that show Mr Santos was the subject of a criminal investigation there in 2008 over allegations he had used stolen checks to buy items at an clothing shop in the city of Niteroi.
At the time, Mr Santos would have been 19.
The Times quoted local prosecutors as saying the case was dormant because Mr Santos had never appeared in court.
However, Mr Santos continued to deny that he was being sought by authorities in South America.
Democrats pounced, calling the Republican a serial fabulist and demanding he voluntarily not take office.
Candidate told a long list of lies
In an interview with the New York Post earlier this week, Mr Santos apologised for his fabrications but downplayed them as "sins" over embellishing his resume, adding that "we do stupid things in life".
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, Mr 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 World War II".
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 on Tuesday, the Republican Jewish Coalition repudiated Mr 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."
On Fox News on Tuesday night, Mr Santos came under withering questioning by former Hawaii representative Tulsi Gabbard, who was sitting in for Tucker Carlson.
"You don't really seem to be taking this seriously," she told him.
"You've apologised, you've said you've made mistakes, but you've outright lied. A lie is not an embellishment on a resume," she said.
"Look, I agree with what you're saying," Mr Santos replied. "We can debate my resume and how I worked with firms such as -"
"Is it debatable?" Ms Gabbard interjected. "Or is it just false?"
"No, it's not false at all," he said. "It's debatable."
Mr Santos lost his first race for Congress in 2020, but successfully ran again this year.
In its opposition research on Mr 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 January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol and his support for baseless claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
The report also sought to depict him as a far-right candidate.
But buried within its report, the DCCC had raised issues about his shaky financial standing and multiple evictions that left him thousands of dollars in debt.
Federal campaign records show that he loaned his campaign more than US$700,000 ($1.04 million), but the source of that money has yet to be explained.
His Democratic opponent, Robert Zimmerman, also tried to raise Mr Santos's misrepresentations during his losing campaign, but it didn't gain much traction.
Mr Zimmerman has said Mr Santos is unfit for office and has called for him to step aside so a special election can be held.
AP