GOP Rep.-Elect Who Admitted to Embellishing Resume: ‘I Have the Courage’ to Face My Mistakes

Republican candidate for New York's 3rd Congressional District George Santos campaigns outside a Stop and Shop store, Saturday, in Glen Cove, N.Y., on Nov. 5, 2022. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

U.S. Congressman-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.), who been taking heat since admitting to embellishing his resume, sought to explain his actions in a heated television appearance on Dec. 27.

In an interview on Fox News with former presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, who was filling in for host Tucker Carlson, Santos admitted to having made mistakes, but also sought to downplay those mistakes by noting that everyone makes them.

“I think we can all look at ourselves in the mirror and admit that once in our life we made a mistake,” Santos said. “I’m having to admit this on national television for the whole country to see, and I have the courage to do so because I believe that in order to move past this and move forward and be an effective member of Congress, I have to face my mistakes. And I’m facing them.”

Gabbard, however, did not hold back in her questioning of Santos, grilling him on discrepancies in his employment and educational history and the way he misrepresented himself to his constituents.

“My question is, do you have no shame?” she asked.

“Tulsi, I can say the same thing about the Democrats and the party,” the congressman-elect replied. “Look at Joe Biden—Joe Biden’s been lying to the American people for 40 years. He’s the president of the United States. Democrats resoundingly support him. Do they have no shame?”

Unimpressed by that response, Gabbard countered that “this is not about the Democratic Party” and proceeded to question Santos about his faith, pointing to a letter his campaign had sent out in which the Santos referred to himself as a “proud American jew.”

Santos clarified that he is ethnically Jewish but was raised a practicing Catholic.

“I understand everyone wants to nitpick at me,” he added. “I’m going to reassure this once and for all: I’m not a façade; I’m not a persona. I have an extensive career that I worked really hard to achieve, and I’m going to deliver from my experience because I remain committed in delivering results for the American people.”

Embellishments

On Dec. 19, The New York Times published a report challenging Santos’ previous claims of having worked for CitiGroup and Goldman Sachs and that he attended Baruch College in New York.

Following that report, Santos’ attorney, Joseph Murray, released a statement in defense of the congressman-elect.

“After four years in the public eye, and on the verge of being sworn in as a member of the Republican led 118^th Congress, the New York Times launches this shotgun blast of attacks,” Murray wrote. “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.”

However, Santos himself later admitted to the New York Post that he was never directly employed by either CitiGroup or Goldman Sachs but had worked for a company called Link Bridge that did business with them. His mistake there, he said, was due to a “poor choice of words.”

Santos also told the outlet that he did not graduate from Baruch College—or any other college.

“I didn’t graduate from any institution of higher learning,” he said. “I’m embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume. I own up to that. … We do stupid things in life.”

Additionally, Santos revealed that he had lied about owning 13 different properties and that he currently lives with his sister but is looking to buy his own place.

Reactions

Since the congressman-elect’s admission, Democrats have called for Santos to relinquish his seat. The Republican leadership, meanwhile, has remained silent on the issue.

Some members of the GOP have spoken out against Santos’s fabrications. The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) on Tuesday said they were “very disappointed” in the congresssman-elect. “He deceived us and misrepresented his heritage,” the RJC said in a statement.

Santos’ fellow Rep.-elect Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), who represents a neighboring district, is calling for an investigation.

“House Republicans like me are eager to be sworn in and focus on our Commitment to America and our respective districts,” LaLota said in a statement. “Yet, over the last few weeks I have heard from countless Long Islanders how deeply troubled they are by the headlines surrounding George Santos.

“As a Navy man who campaigned on restoring accountability and integrity to our government, I believe a full investigation by the House Ethics Committee and, if necessary, law enforcement, is required,” LaLota added. “New Yorkers deserve the truth and House Republicans deserve an opportunity to govern without this distraction.”

Neither the National Republican Congressional Committee nor House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s office returned The Epoch Times’ requests for comment before press time.