Rep.-elect George Santos admits to lying about bio, but says he still intends to serve in Congress - CNN

CNN  — 

GOP Rep.-elect George Santos of New York admitted successful 2 abstracted interviews connected Monday to lying astir parts of his resume but claimed that helium hasn’t committed immoderate crimes and intends to service successful Congress.

Santos has faced scrutiny implicit discrepancies successful his employment and acquisition history, arsenic good arsenic different nationalist claims helium has made astir his biography. In interviews with WABC vigor and the New York Post – the archetypal times Santos has spoken publically astir the contention – helium acknowledged that helium had fabricated immoderate facts.

“I americium not a criminal. Not here, not abroad, successful immoderate jurisdiction successful the satellite person I ever committed immoderate crimes,” Santos said successful an interrogation with WABC vigor big John Catsimatidis.

“To get down to the nit and gritty, I’m not a fraud. I’m not a transgression who defrauded the full state and made up this fictional quality and ran for Congress. I’ve been astir a agelong time. I mean, a batch of radical cognize me. They cognize who I am. They’ve done concern dealings with me,” helium added.

“I’m not going to marque excuses for this, but a batch of radical overstate successful their resumes, oregon twist a small bit. … I’m not saying I’m not blameworthy of that,” helium said.

Santos besides admitted that helium ne'er worked straight for the fiscal firms Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, arsenic helium has antecedently suggested, but claimed that helium did bash enactment for them done his company, telling the New York Post it was a “poor prime of words” to accidental helium worked for them.

He besides told the Post that helium didn’t postgraduate from immoderate assemblage oregon university, contempt claiming helium had degrees from Baruch College and New York University.

Reporter who broke the inconsistencies of GOP Rep.-elect Santos' resume says there's much to explore

06:35 - Source: CNN

“I didn’t postgraduate from immoderate instauration of higher learning. I’m embarrassed and atrocious for having embellished my resume,” helium told the Post, adding that helium owns up to that and that “we bash anserine things successful life.”

He told WABC, “I privation to marque definite that if I disappointed anyone by resume embellishment, I americium sorry.”

The New York Times archetypal revealed past week that Santos’ biography appeared to beryllium partially fictional. CNN confirmed details of that reporting, including astir his assemblage acquisition and employment history.

CNN’s KFile besides reported past week that claims by Santos that his grandparents “survived the Holocaust” arsenic Ukrainian Jewish refugees from Belgium who changed their surname are contradicted by sources including household trees compiled by genealogy websites, records connected Jewish refugees and interviews with aggregate genealogists. A lawyer for Santos had declined to remark to CNN.

“I ne'er claimed to beryllium Jewish,” Santos told the Post. “I americium Catholic. Because I learned my maternal household had a Jewish inheritance I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’”

Santos had said helium was “very proud” of his “Jewish heritage” arsenic precocious arsenic a precocious November 2022 appearance with the Jewish News Syndicate.

CNN has reached retired to House GOP enactment and the National Republican Congressional Committee successful the aftermath of Santos’ admissions. House GOP enactment was soundless amid past week’s revelations. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy would not reply CNN’s questions Thursday erstwhile asked if helium was acrophobic astir evident misrepresentations.

Santos defeated Democrat Robert Zimmerman successful a recently drawn territory covering parts of Queens and immoderate adjacent Long Island suburbs, flipping power to Republicans, who dominated the New York suburbs connected their mode to winning a House majority.

It was Santos’ 2nd tally – helium mislaid to Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi successful 2020 – and astir of the disapproval helium faced during his caller run centered connected his attendance of erstwhile President Donald Trump’s rally successful Washington connected January 6, 2021, and a video successful which helium claimed to person written a “nice check” to assistance alleged rioters with their ineligible fees.

This communicative has been updated with further context.