1 year ago
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The Nassau County territory lawyer announced that she is opening an probe into Rep.-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.), whose astonishment triumph successful November was rapidly followed by revelations that helium lied astir his concern experience, acquisition inheritance and household ancestry.
The territory attorney, Anne T. Donnelly (R), said successful a statement: “The galore fabrications and inconsistencies associated” with Santos “are thing abbreviated of stunning.” The residents successful the legislature territory “must person an honorable and accountable typical successful Congress” and “if a transgression was committed successful this county, we volition prosecute it.” Donnelly’s spokesman, Brendan Brosh, said successful a statement, “We are looking into the matter.”
Days aft an explosive New York Times story connected Dec. 19 elaborate lies Santos told astir his background, Santos gave a fistful of interviews successful which helium acknowledged he was untruthful astir having worked astatine Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and graduating college. He said helium ne'er claimed to beryllium Jewish, contempt erstwhile public comments astir his heritage.
Also unclear is the nonstop source of the $700,000 Santos claimed to person loaned his run successful 2022, conscionable 2 years aft filing a fiscal disclosure report during an unsuccessful 2020 legislature tally that stated helium had nary large assets oregon earned income.
Santos and his representatives did not respond to a petition for comment.
News of the probe came arsenic different item successful Santos’s biography unraveled Wednesday.
During his 2020 legislature race, helium told a melodramatic communicative connected a podcast astir however a prestigious backstage schoolhouse helium attended refused to assistance his financially struggling household months earlier his graduation.
In the October 2020 interview, which resurfaced connected societal media Wednesday, Santos, referring to his parents, said: “They sent maine to a bully prep schoolhouse — which was Horace Mann Prep successful the Bronx. And successful my elder twelvemonth of prep school, unfortunately, my parents fell connected hard times.” Santos went connected to accidental that astatine the clip his household couldn’t “afford a $2,500 tuition” and “I near schoolhouse [with] 4 months till graduation.”
In 2020, George Santos claimed helium attended Horace Mann prep school, but Wayback Machine shows helium scrubbed the assertion from his bio.
Santos besides said helium “left 4 months till graduation,” implying Horace Mann didn’t assistance due to the fact that “a mates 100 kids going done the aforesaid thing.” pic.twitter.com/s2uUfrL5B6
But a spokesperson for the Horace Mann School told The Post that the schoolhouse has nary grounds of Santos attending the institution.
After contacting the schoolhouse and providing them with respective variations of Santos’s sanction which helium has utilized successful public, Ed Adler, a spokesperson for Horace Mann, wrote successful an email, “George Santos oregon immoderate of the aliases you [cite] ne'er attended HM.”
In November, Santos won an unfastened legislature spot connected Long Island held by a Democrat. With that victory, Santos made headlines arsenic the archetypal non-incumbent who is an openly cheery Republican to beryllium elected to Congress. He besides falsely described himself arsenic Jewish and a fantastically palmy businessman.
Amid that newfound attention, Santos’s communicative unraveled.
Some Democrats person called for Santos not to beryllium seated arsenic a subordinate of Congress adjacent week. House Republican leaders person mostly remained soundless astir the matter, arsenic Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) seeks capable votes to go House Speaker erstwhile Republicans instrumentality power of the enclosure erstwhile the caller word begins Tuesday.
Rep.-elect Michael Lawler (R), who defeated an incumbent Democrat successful a suburb northbound of New York City, said successful a statement Wednesday, “With aggregate federal, authorities and section investigations seemingly underway, Mr. Santos should cooperate fully, if helium is to regain the spot of his constituents and colleagues.” A spokesperson for the New York lawyer general’s bureau said past week that it is looking into the issues raised by the reporting connected Santos. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s bureau successful the Eastern District of New York, whose jurisdiction includes Long Island, declined to comment.
Members of the House Equality Caucus, which focuses connected issues facing the LGBTQ community, said successful a statement Wednesday that Santos “does not deserve” to beryllium successful Congress and urged him to “step down immediately,” pointing to his unsupported assertion that 4 of his employees were killed successful the Pulse nightclub shooting successful Orlando successful 2016. Santos aboriginal said connected WABC that the 4 radical “were going to beryllium coming to work” astatine his company. He did not elaborate successful the interview, nor respond to inquiries from the Post astir this.
Bruce Blakeman — the enforcement of Nassau County — told CNN connected Wednesday that Santos needs to code the “emotional issues” that led to his lying. “A mean idiosyncratic wouldn’t bash that,” said Blakeman, a Republican.
In the video that surfaced Wednesday, Santos unspools a heart-wrenching communicative astir his acquisition that adjacent his interviewers astatine the clip seemed to question.
One antheral successful the video, who is identified connected surface arsenic Bill Cannon, said to Santos: “Wait a minute, George. Horace Mann wouldn’t deed you up with a scholarship?”
Santos replied, “Unfortunately astatine the time, I wasn’t the lone pupil going done that aforesaid issue.”
On Wednesday nighttime on Twitter, Santos ignored the latest developments, but said helium is looking guardant to moving successful Congress.
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