CNN
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GOP Rep.-elect George Santos of New York admitted Monday in two separate interviews that he lied about parts of his application, but said he had committed no crimes and wanted to serve in Congress.
Santos has Confronted with studies on contradictions His employment and education history, as well as other public statements he has made about his biography. In interviews with WABC radio and the New York Post — the first time Santos spoke publicly about the controversy — he admitted to fabricating some facts.
“I am not guilty. I have never committed any crimes, not here, not abroad, in any jurisdiction in the world,” Santos said in an interview with WABC radio host John Casematidis.
“Just to be clear, I’m not a fraud. I’m not a criminal who defrauded the entire country and created this fictional character and ran for Congress. I’ve been around a long time. I mean, a lot of people know me. They know who I am. They’ve done business with me, ” he added.
“I’m not going to make excuses for this, but a lot of people overdo it on their resumes, or twist it a little bit. … I’m not saying I’m not guilty of it,” he said.
Santos also admitted that he did not work directly for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. New York Post To say that he worked for them is an “understatement”.
He also told the Post that he never graduated from any college or university, although he claimed to have graduated from Baruch College and New York University.
Reporter breaks GOP Rep.-elect Santos’ resume, says more to be explored
“I did not graduate from any institution of higher learning. I’m ashamed and sorry for embellishing my resume,” she told the Post, adding that she “does stupid things in life.”
He told WABC, “I want to make sure that if I’ve misled anyone with resume embellishment, I’m sorry.”
First the New York Times revealed Last week Santos’ biography was somewhat fictional. CNN confirmed The report details, including his college education and employment history.
CNN’s KFile also reported As Ukrainian Jewish refugees from Belgium changed their surnames last week, Santos said his grandparents “survived the Holocaust,” contradicted by family traditions, family trees compiled by genealogy websites, records of Jewish refugees and interviews with several genealogists. Santos’ attorney declined to comment to CNN.
“I never said I was Jewish,” Santos told the Post. “I am Catholic. I said ‘Jewish’ because I know my maternal family has a Jewish background.
In late November 2022, Santos said he was “very proud” of his “Jewish heritage”. appearance With the Jewish News Syndicate.
In the wake of Santos’ admission, CNN has reached out to House GOP leadership and the National Republican Congressional Committee. House GOP leadership remained silent amid last week’s revelations. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy would not answer questions from CNN on Thursday.
Santos defeated Democrat Robert Zimmerman in a newly drawn district that includes parts of Queens and some nearby Long Island suburbs, flipping Republican control.
This is Santos’ second run — he lost to Democrat Rep. Tom Suozzi in 2020 — and much of the criticism he faced during his recent campaign centered on his attendance at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, and a video showing alleged rioters in their legal ranks. He said he wrote a “nice check” to help with the bills.
This story has been updated with additional context.