When George Santos Deflied About His Campaigning for the Democratic-Republican Congressman-Elect: A Case Study in the Times and the Devolder Organization
The Times tried to “smear” the congressman-elect with their “defamatory allegations,” according to Joseph Murray, an attorney for him. The Times report said Santos did not respond to repeated requests to furnish documents that would help to substantiate the claims while campaigning.
GOP Rep.-elect George Santos is facing growing condemnation from House Democrats, some of whom have called on him to step aside, and even from some corners of the GOP, with at least one of his fellow incoming Republicans calling for him to face an ethics investigation. The New York Republican lied about parts of his biography in the past, but the House GOP leadership is silent over it.
“Santos represents the kind of progress that the Left is so threatened by – a gay, Latino, immigrant and Republican who won a Biden district in overwhelming fashion by showing everyday voters that there is a better option than the broken promises and failed policies of the Democratic Party,” Murray said.
He admitted Monday that he didn’t finish college or university, despite his previous claims.
CNN confirmed that there is a salary of $750,000 for this year and last year at the Devolder Organization, in whichSantos claims to be a family firm with $80 million in assets.
A search for the Devolder Organization found that the business was registered in Florida in 2021 and was most recently temporarily deemed “inactive” by the state after failing to file the required annual reports. Santos failed to report any of the clients that he served in his financial disclosure, because his profile on LinkedIn couldn’t be found.
New York Times bestselling author George Santos speaks out against defamatory allegations in the wake of a new district in Queens and Long Island
A newly drawn district in Queens and Long Island flipped control to Republicans, who dominated the New York suburbs on their way to winning a House majority.
His attendance of the rally by President Donald Trump in Washington in January of 2021, and a video he claimed to have written a check for, earned him a lot of criticism.
“I believe that George Santos deserves an opportunity to address the claims detailed in the article,” said Joseph Cairo Jr., the influential chairman of Nassau County’s Republican committee.
Cairo said that he looks forward to hearingSantos’ response, “every person deserves an opportunity to clear his/her name in the face of accusations.”
“It is no surprise that Congressman-elect Santos has enemies at the New York Times who are attempting to smear his good name with these defamatory allegations,” said Joseph Murray.
“Only someone who grew up in a basement apartment in Jackson Heights can rise to become a successful business person and then run for congress, that’s how rare it is in this country.”
Santos had also claimed that he lost four employees in the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. That wasn’t true, either, although he now says it was four prospective employees; still, he didn’t provide any names or other details.
“I happened to, at the time, have people that worked for me in the club,” Santos said. “My company at the time, we lost four employees that were at Pulse.”
A New York Rep.-Electron John Catsimatidis Calls “An Unqualified Extreme MAGA Republican” “Not a Criminal”
In an editorial before the election, the North Shore Leader newspaper endorsed Santos’ Democratic opponent, Robert Zimmerman, and voiced skepticism about Santos’ credibility.
McCarthy, who is still struggling to secure enough votes to secure the speakership, has not yet commented publicly on the controversy surrounding Santos’ biography.
Discrepancies on New York Rep.-elect George Santos’ resume are “serious” and the GOP politician “deserves an opportunity” to clear his name in the face of accusations, a top Republican in Nassau County said Monday.
Jeffries said thatSantos is clearly not fit to serve and called him an unqualified Extreme MAGA Republican.
Josh Lafazan, a member of the Nassau County Legislature in New York and a former candidate for New York’s 3rd Congressional District, said Tuesday that Santos should resign immediately.
Lafazan said he plans to write letters to the House Ethics Committee requesting an investigation and called on the attorney general’s office to look at “potential wrongdoing when it comes to campaign finance violations.”
But let’s be clear – Santos is exactly who you don’t want in office. He is a man who seemingly has no problem lying for self-aggrandizement and personal gain; a man who, even when caught, demonstrates little remorse or accountability; a man who still insists that he should be vested with significant political power.
Santos also claimed he founded and ran his own charity called “Friends of Pets United.” There was no organization in the IRS database, nor in the charities in New York state and Florida.
I’m not a criminal. Not here, not overseas, in any jurisdiction in the world have I ever committed a crime, according to an interview with WABC radio host John Catsimatidis.
“To get down to the nit and gritty, I’m not a fraud. I ran for Congress because I was not a criminal who defrauded the entire country and made up a fictional character. I have been around for a long time. I mean, a lot of people know me. They know who I am. They’ve done business dealings with me,” he added.
I am not going to make excuses, but a lot of people overstate in their resume or twist a little bit. He said he was not saying he wasn’t guilty of that.
He admitted that he never worked directly for Citigroup or Goldman Sachs, as he has previously suggested, but claimed that he did work for them through his company.
I did not graduate from any of the institutions of higher learning. I’m embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume,” he told the Post, adding that he owns up to that and that “we do stupid things in life.”
KFile Observations: CNN and the Jewish Genocide: Commentary on “The Case for a Polish Jew” by Jonas Santos
CNN’s KFile also reported last week that claims by Santos that his grandparents “survived the Holocaust” as Ukrainian Jewish refugees from Belgium who changed their surname are contradicted by sources including family trees compiled by genealogy websites, records on Jewish refugees and interviews with multiple genealogists. A lawyer for the man did not talk to CNN.
CNN has confirmed that a document shared with Jewish groups during the campaign is whatSantos described himself as being a proud American Jew.
CNN has reached out to House GOP leadership and the National Republican Congressional Committee in the wake of Santos’ admissions. The GOP leadership of the House was silent last week. Kevin McCarthy wouldn’t answer any questions about what he thought about misrepresentations.
A journalist and author, who is based in New York, is known for his book “OK Boomer, Let’s talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind.” Follow her on Twitter @JillFilipovic. The opinions expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion on CNN.
Rep. Joe Cairo: “We Don’t Want to Close Our Eyes,” [Dear Congressional Candidate Joe Santos, Jr., Oct. 12, 2011]
For example, he claimed he worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, listing specific roles he held in these organizations. He says a poor choice of words gave the wrong impression to the two companies he worked for at Link Bridge.
So why should the public trust anything further he says, given his egregious pattern of lying, dissembling and then downplaying his own lies? And how should the GOP respond?
I assume the GOP won’t do this, it’s a sad reflection of how they’re viewed today. Party leaders have mostly stayed quiet. Nassau GOP Chair Joe Cairo, one of the few Republican leaders to speak out, said Santos would have to do a lot to regain trust, but added that Santos should be able to serve his term in Congress.
Santos has admitted to fabricating sections of his resume – including his past work experience and education – and has apologized but says he intends to serve in Congress.
A group of Democratic House members, including Texas’ Joaquin Castro and California’s Ted Lieu, called on Santos to resign after he gave interviews admitting that he had embellished his resume.
In a statement, the GOP Rep.-elect stated that the House ethics committee should investigate and that if necessary, law enforcement should be involved.
Another incoming GOP lawmaker from New York, Rep.-elect Anthony D’Esposito, condemned Santos’ false statements and called on him to “pursue a path of honesty,” although he stopped short of calling for an investigation.
In the past, the California Republican has shown little appetite for punishing his own members for bad behavior – particularly when it comes to actions from before they were a member of Congress. McCarthy will not comment when members are under investigation, even though he will let the probes play out before determining how to proceed.
In an interview posted Monday night,Santos said that he would be an effective member of the congress in the 118th session.
Nassau County Republican Committee Chairman Joseph G. Cairo, Jr. said Tuesday that Santos had broken the public trust and needs a lot of work done to regain the trust of voters.
“I am deeply disappointed in Mr. Santos, and I expected more than just a blanket apology,” Cairo said in a statement. “The damage that his lies have caused to many people, especially those who have been impacted by the Holocaust, are profound.”
The Republican Jewish Coalition said the incoming congressman had misrepresented his heritage and would not be welcome at any future event.