CAMPAIGN LIES: Incoming NY GOP congressman BUSTED for phony resume
It appears that the newly elected United States congressman from New York, George Santos (R-NY) may have fibbed on his resume. The representative-elect used his coming-of-age son of immigrants story to ingratiate himself in key GOP circles.
But was it built on lies?
After running his campaign based on the narrative of a son of Brazilian immigrants who made their way up the ladder of the American Dream, his highly touted career as a Wall Street success story appears to have been fabricated.
According to The New York Times, attempts to verify the young up-and-coming GOP star’s supposed credentials came up short. Firms he claimed to have worked for have no record of his employment, and the school he said he graduated from also had nothing.
“Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, the marquee Wall Street firms on Mr. Santos’s campaign biography, told The Times they had no record of his ever working there. Officials at Baruch College, which Mr. Santos has said he graduated from in 2010, could find no record of anyone matching his name and date of birth graduating that year,” The New York Times rpeorted.
The Congressman-elect made assertions that he was an “associate asset manager” for Citigroup that couldn’t be substantiated – and neither could most of his claims.
Mr. Santos boasted of founding the pet rescue, Friends of Pets United, and reportedly saving thousands of dogs and cats. However, when digging deeper into the “charity,” little is known about the organization saving for a $50-a-head fundraiser for a New Jersey animal rescue group nearly five years ago, that failed to deliver.
“The event’s beneficiary, who asked for anonymity for fear of retribution said that she never received any of the funds,” The New York Times reported.”
According to the source, the group only got excuses from Santos about why the money wasn’t forwarded.
The son of a Catholic father and Jewish mother, Santos says he is both. His father has ties to the African nation of Angola, and his mother – Fatima Devolder (now deceased) – was a descendant of refugees fleeing Jewish persecution in World War II Europe.
In 2010, the politically hungry newbie admitted to stealing a checkbook from one of his mother’s patients two years prior when she was a nurse in Brazil.
But he never appeared in court, despite attempts to locate him by prosecutors and the court.
A bio praising Congressman Santos on the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) website, shamelessly plays into the hard scrapple story of an immigrant boy done good, so to speak.
Highlighting accomplishments that include his work with prestigious Wall Street firms and philanthropic advocacy feeding the unhoused and helping disadvantaged children around the world, citing a resume that has come into doubt.
“George’s family embodies the American dream – where anyone can work hard, play by the rules, achieve success, and help others.” the NRCC bio claims.
The openly gay 34-year-old used the recent mass shooting — and hate crime — at Club Q in Colorado Springs, CO to segue into a story about losing employees in the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, FL in 2016.
“This is a deja-vu moment for me,” Santos told WNYC radio host, Brian Lehrer, in an interview. “It just brings back such tragic memories.”
“I condemn what happened in Colorado, just much like at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016, which I happen to, at the time, have people that work for me in the club. My company, at the time, we lost four employees that work that were at Pulse nightclub.”
Further investigation by The New York Times failed to find any truth to Santos’ claims, after cross-referencing information on the 49 victims of the tragedy against the names of companies associated with the young Republican.
A self-described landlord, Santos jumped on the Covid-19 bandwagon, accusing tenants of taking advantage of the pandemic by not paying rent on the 13 properties his family is supposed to own — claiming that for nearly a year no rent was received during the moratorium.
Will we landlords ever be able to take back possession of our property? My family and I nearing a 1 year anniversary of not receiving rent on 13 properties!!! The state is collecting their tax, yet we get 0 help from the government. We worked hard to acquire these assets…
— George Santos (@Santos4Congress) February 9, 2021
The problem? There’s no record of the Devolder Organization owning any rental properties in New York.
Database records in both New York City and Nassau County failed to show that Santos, his company, or any immediate family members held deeds to rental properties in the area, according to The New York Times.
Ironically, not once – but twice – Santos was on the other side of the landlord/tenant relationship. In 2015, and 2017 he was evicted for non-payment of rent at two separate properties.
A landlord in Queens, Maria Tulumba, sued the then-tenant for $2,250 in unpaid rent. She won her case.
Just two years later, Mr. Santos failed to pay over $10,000 on a rent-controlled Sunnyside, Queens apartment. After five months of delinquency, the landlord eventually had an eviction notice served – receiving a judgment in their favor of $12,208.
The newly elected representative’s company is registered in the state of Florida, despite his New York residency. While that in and of itself isn’t illegal, it does raise questions.
The lack of financial disclosures related to Devolder Organization’s business to justify the $750,000 base salary Santos claims, and seven-figure dividend payments caught the eye of the Campaign Legal Center – a political watchdog group.
“This report raises red flags because no clients are reported for a multimillion-dollar client services company,” Vice President Kedric Payne said. “The congressman-elect should explain what’s going on.”
On the campaign trail, Mr. Santos lived the good life, splurging on expensive meals and high-end clothing for his staff, as well as luxury hotels and travel.
Willfully and knowingly misrepresenting financial disclosures is a federal offense.
Just days before the violent attack on the Capitol, Santos accused the media of causing the firing of his then-fiance (now husband), after reports of the couple attending a holiday party at then-President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, the Advocate wrote.
Fresh off of his defeat in the 2020 congressional race, Santos attended the $ 1,000-a-head event maskless and indoors.
“The violence against us is real,” Santos tweeted after the gala – claiming he and his fiance had to flee their home in the aftermath of a New York Times article about their attendance.
My fiancé & I had to leave our home this evening with our 4 dogs thanks to the @nytimes publishing of my Instagram showing me attending the #MarALago New Year’s Eve party. My fiancé a pharmacist who worked 12h/7days shifts for 9 months was fired! The violence against us is real.
— George Santos (@Santos4Congress) January 3, 2021
Whether or not there is any truth behind the revelations, when it comes to the GOP there’s usually fire behind the smoke.
At the very least, Congressman Santos owes the American people an explanation for the discrepancies in his claims and what so far has yet to be proven.
Perhaps an even bigger explanation, however, is owed by The New York Times as to why they waited until after the election to publish the results of their investigation into the congressman when voters could have known about Santos’s deception before they cast their ballots.
Original reporting by Grace Ashford and Michael Gold at The New York Times.
Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick
