Rep.-elect George Santos, R-N.Y., has responded to a New York Times report that questioned parts of his biography, accusing the paper of launching a “shotgun blast of attacks” before he is sworn into the new Congress.
The history-making political newcomer, an openly gay Republican and son of Brazilian immigrants, has faced questions about his authenticity after details of his biography could not be confirmed by multiple news outlets. Santos, who flipped New York’s 3rd Congressional District into the GOP column in November, has called allegations that he lied to voters about his biography a “smear” and “defamatory.”
“George Santos represents the kind of progress than the Left is so threatened by – a gay, Latino, first generation American and Republican who won a Biden district in overwhelming fashion by showing everyday voters that there is a better option than the broken promises and failed policies of the Democratic Party. After four years in the public eye, and on the verge of being sworn in as a member of the Republican led 118th Congress, the New York Times launches this shotgun blast of attacks,” Santos said through his attorney, Joseph Murray.
“It is no surprise that Congressman-elect Santos has enemies at the New York Times who are attempting to smear his good name with these defamatory allegations. As Winston Churchill famously stated, ‘You have enemies? Good. It means that you’ve stood up for something, sometime in you life,'” Murray said. That quote, while often attributed to Winston Churchill, actually originated with Victor Hugo in his 1845 essay, Villemain. There is no evidence of Churchill ever saying it.
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On Monday, the New York Times reported that claims Santos had made about his employment in the financial industry, including working for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, could not be verified.
A spokesperson for Goldman Sachs confirmed they have no record of Santos’ employment with the firm. Citigroup managing director Danielle Romero-Apsilos told Fox News, “I am unable to confirm Mr. Santos’ employment with Citi.”
Santos had also told voters he ran an animal rescue nonprofit called Friends of Pets United for the past five years. But a search for the purported charity on the Internal Revenue Service website turns up no results.
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His education background was called into question too after Baruch College, where Santos claimed to have studied economics and finance, confirmed to Fox News there was no record that he attended the school.
References to Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Baruch College were scrubbed from Santos’ campaign website sometime between Oct. 21 and 27, according to archived screenshots taken by the Wayback Machine first reported by Axios.
Santos and his attorney have also been reached for additional comment but did not offer any at this time.