Incoming Rep. George Santos (R-NY) admitted in an interview this week to fabricating his work and education experience on the 2022 campaign trail after an article published by The New York Times exposed discrepancies in his resume.
In an interview on Monday with The New York Post, Santos came forward and admitted that he “embellished” portions of his work and education history. He added that the controversy “will not deter me from having good legislative success” and that he will be “effective” and “good” as a member of Congress.
“My sins here are embellishing my resume. I’m sorry,” he said in the interview.
According to the Post, Santos, 34, misrepresented several claims on the campaign trail, including where he went to college, and that he claimed to have worked for well-known Wall Street firms including Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. The Times article found that Santos did not attend college or work at the firms he claimed to have been a part of.
In his interview with the Post, Santos blamed this on “poor choice of words” and said that a company called Link Bridge, where he was vice president, worked with both Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.
In addition, Santos told the Post he did not graduate from any college, but previously claimed he got a degree from Baruch College in 2010.
“I didn’t graduate from any institution of higher learning. I’m embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume,” he said, adding that “we do stupid things in life.”
In a separate interview on Monday, Santos told WABC-AM that “a lot of people overstate in their resumes, or twist a little bit.”
He emphasized in the interview that he is “not a criminal.” The Times reported in its piece that Santos has criminal charges for check fraud in Brazil.
“To get down to the nit and gritty, I’m not a fraud. I’m not a criminal who defrauded the entire country and made up this fictional character and ran for Congress,” he said.
Republican political consultant Michael Dawidziak indicated that Democrats in Santos’ congressional race should have done their “homework” better, according to CBS.
"Opposition research is a key part of any campaign," Dawidziak told the outlet. "If they didn't know about this, then it is shocking."
Santos reportedly told CBS he will “look into” suing the Times for defamation.