Nassau County’s top Republican chided liar Rep.-elect George Santos on Tuesday, saying he had “broken the public’s trust” and made “serious misstatements” about his past — but declined to call on the 34-year-old to resign his seat.
In an exclusive interview with the Post on Monday, Santos admitted he lied about most of his credentials — confessing that he had “never worked directly” for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and acknowledging he never graduated from college despite claims to the contrary during his successful election campaign.
“My sins here are embellishing my resume,” Santos said. “I’m sorry.”
“Congressman-Elect George Santos has broken the public trust by making serious misstatements regarding his background, experience and education, among other issues,” Nassau County Republican Committee Chairman Joseph Cairo said in a statement to the Post. “He has a lot of work to do to regain the trust of voters and everyone who he represents in Congress. I am deeply disappointed in Mr. Santos, and I expected more than just a blanket apology.”
Santos also admitted Monday that he is “clearly Catholic” despite claiming on his campaign website that his mother was Jewish and his grandparents escaped the Nazis. In his Post interview, he claimed his grandmother – who was born and raised in Brazil – told stories about being Jewish but later converted to Catholicism.
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“I never claimed to be Jewish,” Santos said. “I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’”
“The damage that his lies have caused to many people, especially those who have been impacted by the Holocaust, are profound,” Cairo concluded his statement. “He must do the public’s will in Washington. Residents want him to deliver tax relief and pass laws that will make our neighborhoods and our nation safer. What’s more, George Santos will have to continually prove that he has learned his lesson.”
The Republican Jewish Coalition also denounced Santos after his admission to The Post, saying he “will not be welcome at any future RJC event.”
“We are very disappointed in Congressman-elect Santos. He deceived us and misrepresented his heritage,” the RJC said in a statement Tuesday. “In public comments and to us personally he previously claimed to be Jewish. He has begun his tenure in Congress on a very wrong note.”
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