The Times uncovers the lies of Congressman-elect George Santos and his alleged crimes against the public and the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001
His appearance earlier this month at a gala in Manhattan attended by white nationalists and right-wing conspiracy theorists underscored his ties to Mr. Trump’s right-wing base.
The omission of key information about Mr. Santos is among the new revelations uncovered by The Times. ethical and legal challenges might be created once he takes office.
Mr. Santos did not respond to repeated requests from The Times that he furnish either documents or a résumé with dates that would help to substantiate the claims he made on the campaign trail. He also declined to be interviewed, and neither his lawyer nor Big Dog Strategies, a Republican-oriented political consulting group that handles crisis management, responded to a detailed list of questions.
The lawyer, Joe Murray, said in a short statement that it was “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.”
According to records, Mr. Santoss mother resided in the Brazilian city of Niteri when she was employed as a nurse. After Mr. Santos obtained a high school equivalency diploma, he apparently also spent some time there.
Mr. Santos said he did not commit crimes in the US or abroad. The Brazilian records show that he admitted the fraud to the police and the shopkeeper.
As Rep.-elect George Santos continues to face scrutiny for false claims the New York Republican has made about his biography, another story is being questioned: that his mother was at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and that the incident played a role in her death.
Questions about the authenticity of the story are being raised by two tweets that were sent from Santos’ account in 2021, first reported by journalist Yashar Ali on Wednesday.
George Santos and his mother: A misrepresenting scandal in finance, and how he describes his mother in the South Tower on September 11, 2001
“George’s mother was in her office in the South Tower on September 11, 2001, when the horrific events of that day unfolded. She lost her battle to cancer a few years after surviving September 11th, but she survived the tragedy, according to the website.
“She never applied for relief because her, her motto was, ‘I can afford it. We are fortunate. We can take care of our medical bills. If I take it, I’m taking it away from these men and women who need it and who put their lives on the line,’” Santos added.
The controversy could affect Mr.Santos’ debut in Congress, including his committee assignments. He told NY1 last month that he was hoping to serve on the House Financial Services or Foreign Affairs committees because of his 14 years of experience in capital markets. He has since admitted to misrepresenting his work in financial services, while aspects of his heritage have been called into question.
New reporting by The Times brings a clearer picture of his earlier life into view, including information about the gaps in his personal history, along with discrepancies in how he described his mother’s life.
In fact, the Brazilian newspaper described her as a cook when she died. Her friends and former roommates said that she was friendly, worked hard and made her living cleaning homes and selling food. None of those interviewed by The Times could recall a time when she worked in finance, and several of them said the story was the result of Mr.Santos tendency for mythmaking.
How he’s dropping out of the Bronx High School to get his equivalency diploma and then get his associate’s degree
His apparent fabrications about his own life begin with his claims about his high school. He said he dropped out of the prestigious Horace Mann School in the Bronx in 2006 to get his equivalency diploma, and then went on to get an associate’s degree. A spokesman for Horace Mann said that the school had no record of his attending at all.