1 year ago
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NEW YORK (AP) — Republican Rep.-elect George Santos of New York, who is accused of lying astir ample swaths of his inheritance and accomplishments, volition person to hold to adhd 1 happening with certainty to his resume: U.S. congressman.
Santos arrived successful Washington to beryllium sworn successful Tuesday, but his swearing-in was delayed aft Republicans who power the House failed successful aggregate rounds of voting to elite a speaker. Incoming members cannot beryllium sworn successful until a talker is chosen.
Santos, who faces a spiral of investigations from national and section prosecutors into his run spending and lies astir his household history, resume and education, declined to respond to questions from reporters wrong and extracurricular the Capitol, including 1 question astir whether helium planned to resign. Santos sat by himself connected the Republican broadside of the House level during Tuesday’s votes, mostly keeping to himself and looking astatine his phone.
He joined astir Republicans successful backing Kevin McCarthy for speaker, but McCarthy fell abbreviated of the bulk needed to assertion the gavel. Voting ended for the time aft 3 rounds Tuesday and was acceptable to resume Wednesday.
Initially, the triumph by Santos, an openly cheery Republican who flipped a Long Island House spot held by Democrats for a decade, was seen arsenic 1 of his party’s agleam spots successful an different underwhelming midterm election. But arsenic reports began to look that helium had lied astir having Jewish ancestry, a vocation astatine apical Wall Street firms and a assemblage degree, Santos turned into a distraction and embarrassment to the enactment arsenic it prepares to instrumentality power of the House.
While immoderate chap Republicans person called for morals investigations oregon for Santos to resign, GOP House leaders, including McCarthy, person notably remained silent. For his part, Santos apologized for his fabrications but downplayed them arsenic “sins” implicit embellishing his resume, telling The New York Post that “we bash anserine things successful life.”
Santos’ fiscal disclosure forms amusement that helium accrued a speedy luck contempt caller fiscal problems and that helium spent ample amounts of run funds connected question and hotels.
Federal prosecutors successful New York person started to analyse Santos’ inheritance and his fiscal dealings, a idiosyncratic acquainted with the substance told The Associated Press.
The New York lawyer general’s bureau said it’s looking into the allegations surrounding Santos, portion section territory attorneys’ offices successful Queens and Long Island person besides said they are reviewing whether Santos broke immoderate laws.
Court records successful Brazil, archetypal uncovered by The New York Times, amusement Santos was the taxable of a transgression complaint for utilizing 2 stolen checks successful 2008, erstwhile helium would person been 19, to bargain astir $1,350 worthy of items astatine a covering store successful the metropolis of Niteroi, including a brace of sneakers that helium gave to a friend.
Santos successful a signed confession admitted having stolen the checkbook of his mother’s erstwhile leader from her purse and making purchases, according to tribunal documents reviewed by the AP.
A justice accepted the charges against Santos successful 2011, but consequent subpoenas for him to look personally oregon contiguous a written defence went unanswered. With authorities repeatedly incapable to find his whereabouts, the lawsuit was suspended successful 2013. But successful a connection connected Tuesday, authorities prosecutors successful Rio de Janeiro said present that Santos’ determination is known they volition petition to reopen the case. The authorities courts are successful recess until Friday.
Democrats successful Congress are expected to prosecute respective avenues against Santos, including a imaginable ailment with the Federal Election Commission and introducing a solution to expel him erstwhile he’s a sitting member.
Until 2020, Santos had nary assets and an income of $55,000 from LinkBridge Investors, according to fiscal disclosure statements filed with the clerk of the House.
Two years later, successful a akin filing, Santos reported income betwixt $1 cardinal and $5 cardinal for each of 2022 and 2021 — each coming from the Devolder Organization, of which helium had full interest. He described the entity arsenic a “capital intro consulting company.”
Federal run records amusement that helium loaned his run much than $700,000.
The North Shore Leader, a paper connected Long Island, raised questions earlier the predetermination astir Santos’ finances and run spending, a study that drew small announcement astatine the time. In announcing it was endorsing his opponent, the paper cited Santos’ behaviour and called him “sketchy” and “most apt conscionable a fabulist — a fake.”
But his statements astir his background, his fiscal disclosures and run spending didn’t pull wide attraction until December, erstwhile The New York Times examined the communicative that Santos presented to voters during his campaign.
Since then, Santos has admitted lying astir moving for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, arsenic good arsenic having earned a grade successful concern and economics from Baruch College successful New York.
Beyond his resume, Santos invented a beingness communicative that has besides travel nether question, including claims that his grandparents “fled Jewish persecution successful Ukraine, settled successful Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII.”
During his campaign, helium referred to himself arsenic “a arrogant American Jew.”
He backtracked connected that claim, saying helium ne'er intended to assertion Jewish heritage, which mightiness person raised his entreaty among his district’s important ranks of Jewish voters.
“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.’”
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Associated Press reporters Michael Balsamo successful Washington, Bobby Caina Calvan successful New York and David Biller and Diane Jeantet successful Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.
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