Representative George Santos (R-NY) on Thursday claimed that he “never lied” about his resume and blamed the local Nassau County GOP for his “deception” as the freshman lawmaker continues to face intense media scrutiny over his background.
“I would have never gotten the nomination from Nassau County GOP if I had not concluded college,” the embattled Republican told Newsmax on Thursday.
“To say that I deceived, and it was a campaign of deceit and deception is just not fair. That’s just the political spin that the Nassau County GOP wants to create on this narrative,” Santos added.
Santos first admitted in December to lying about his education and work experience. Despite his claims on the campaign trail, Santos did not attend Baruch College or any other university, and never worked for Citigroup or Goldman Sachs.
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After previously describing himself as a “proud American Jew” and claiming that his grandparents fled persecution in Europe during the Holocaust, Santos later clarified that he identifies as Catholic and only meant that he was “Jew-ish.”
Santos has been accused of lying about a litany of other things, including the claim that he was a “proud American Jew” and saying that his grandparents fled persecution in Europe during the Holocaust. He also claimed to have attended a prestigious prep school in New York, that his mother died from 9/11-related causes and that he knew several victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting.
He is also under investigation over multiple inconsistencies with his campaign finances.
But he claims it’s just “human” to make mistakes.
“I’m human; I’ve made mistakes,” Santos said told Newsmax. “I’ve made peace with those mistakes, and I’ve come clean on those mistakes.”
“I want to be judged based on my actions,” he added. “If you look at my report card, I stand right now as one of the most conservative members of Congress, keeping to my word that I will vote conservatively for the people of New York’s 3rd Congressional District.”
His comments come as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for him to resign.
Watch clips of his interview below.
George Santos on Newsmax: "I'm human. I've made mistakes. I've made peace with those mistakes and I've come clean on those mistakes." (He has not come clean about his mistakes.) pic.twitter.com/dxjz9TQYQw
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 10, 2023
George Santos: "To say I deceived, and there was a campaign of deceit and deception, is just not fair" pic.twitter.com/UtSL3YzVFT
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 10, 2023
