George Santos set to be sworn in to Congress amid mounting scrutiny and condemnation - CNN

CNN  — 

Rep.-elect George Santos of New York is scheduled to beryllium sworn successful to Congress connected Tuesday arsenic helium faces mounting scrutiny and condemnation implicit lies astir his biography and amid an investigation by national prosecutors into his finances.

All incoming members of the 118th Congress are scheduled to beryllium sworn successful pursuing the ballot for House talker astatine the US Capitol, which is acceptable to statesman aft noon ET connected Tuesday.

Some Democrats person called connected Santos to measurement speech aft the Republican admitted to fabricating parts of his resume, including his enactment acquisition and education. A fewer Republicans person besides rebuked Santos, and astatine slightest 1 of his chap incoming House Republicans from New York called for him to look an morals investigation.

Santos faces questions astir different cardinal parts of his biography – including a assertion that has been contradicted that his grandparents survived the Holocaust – and implicit loans totaling much than $700,000 that helium made to his 2022 campaign. The national probe into his finances, which CNN reported connected past week, is being undertaken by the US attorney’s bureau successful the Eastern District of New York.

Santos is besides apt to look fraud charges successful Brazil.

Santos’ FEC reports incorporate a fig of antithetic expenditures, including exorbitant expenses connected aerial question and hotels.

“Campaign expenditures for unit members including travel, lodging, and meals are mean expenses of immoderate competent campaign. The proposition that the Santos run engaged successful immoderate unlawful spending of run funds is irresponsible, astatine best,” Joe Murray, a lawyer for Santos, said successful a connection to CNN connected Saturday.

House Republican enactment has remained soundless connected Santos and Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy has dodged questions from CNN and others connected the issue. It is improbable House GOP enactment volition garbage to spot Santos connected Tuesday, and Santos has said helium intends to service successful Congress.

One seasoned Republican lawmaker, Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, said Sunday connected Fox News that Santos is “certainly going to person to see resigning,” successful the aftermath of the revelations, which were archetypal reported by The New York Times past month. At slightest 2 Democrats – Reps. Joaquin Castro of Texas and Ted Lieu of California – person called for Santos to beryllium expelled from Congress if helium does not resign. The House has the powerfulness nether the Constitution to expel immoderate subordinate with a two-thirds vote, but doing truthful is highly uncommon and lone 5 lawmakers person been expelled successful US history. 

Santos has apologized for immoderate of the lies but has attempted to downplay the scope of the fabrications, arguing past week helium lone enactment “a small spot of fluff” successful his resume.

He admitted to lying astir moving for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs and said helium did not postgraduate from immoderate assemblage oregon assemblage contempt claiming helium obtained degrees from Baruch College and New York University. Santos’ claims that his grandparents “survived the Holocaust” arsenic Ukrainian Jewish refugees from Belgium person been contradicted by sources reviewed by CNN’s KFile, including records connected Jewish refugees and interviews with aggregate genealogists. Santos has described himself arsenic an “American Jew” and “Latino Jew” connected aggregate occasions, but present says helium is Catholic and that helium was lone jokingly describing himself arsenic “Jew-ish.” The Republican Jewish Coalition barred Santos from appearing astatine immoderate of its events due to the fact that helium “misrepresented his heritage.”

CNN’s KFile has reported connected respective different mendacious claims Santos has made, including that helium was forced to permission a New York City backstage schoolhouse erstwhile his family’s existent property assets took a downturn. In December 2020, Santos falsely claimed that his parent “fled socialism” successful Europe and moved to the United States.

Law enforcement officials successful Brazil volition reinstate fraud charges against Santos aboriginal this week, the Rio de Janeiro prosecutor’s bureau tells CNN.

Prosecutors said they volition question a “formal response” from Santos related to a stolen checkbook successful 2008, aft constabulary suspended an probe into him due to the fact that they were incapable to find him for astir a decade.

CNN antecedently confirmed that Santos was charged with embezzlement successful a Brazilian tribunal successful 2011, according to lawsuit records from the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice. However, tribunal records from 2013 authorities that the complaint was archived aft tribunal summons went unanswered and they were incapable to find Santos.

CNN has reached retired to a lawyer for Santos for comment. The reinstatement of the fraud charges was archetypal reported by The New York Times.

In an interrogation with the New York Post past week, Santos denied that helium had been charged with immoderate transgression successful Brazil, saying: “I americium not a transgression present – not present oregon successful Brazil oregon immoderate jurisdiction successful the world. Absolutely not. That didn’t happen.”