New York Rep.-elect George Santos admits lying about his career and college education

WASHINGTON â€”  Rep.-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.) admitted Monday that he lied about his job experience and college education during his successful campaign for a seat in the U.S. House.

In an interview with the New York Post, Santos said: “My sins here are embellishing my resume. I’m sorry.�

He also told the newspaper: “I campaigned talking about the people’s concerns, not my resume� and added, “I intend to deliver on the promises I made during the campaign.�

The New York Times raised questions last week about the life story that Santos, 34, had presented during his campaign.

The Queens resident had said he had obtained a degree from Baruch College in New York, but the school said that couldn’t be confirmed.

On Monday, Santos acknowledged: “I didn’t graduate from any institution of higher learning. I’m embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume.�

He added: “I own up to that. … We do stupid things in life.�

Santos had also said he had worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, but neither company could find any records verifying that.

Santos told the Post he had “never worked directly� for either financial firm, saying he had used a “poor choice of words.�

He told the Post that Link Bridge, an investment company where he was a vice president, did business with both.

Another news outlet, the Jewish American site the Forward, had questioned a claim on Santos’ campaign website that his grandparents “fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII.�

“I never claimed to be Jewish,� Santos told the Post. “I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’�

Santos first ran for Congress in 2020 and lost. He ran again in 2022 and won in the district that includes some Long Island suburbs and a small part of Queens.