Tag: George

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George Santos shows how much the politics of shame have changed : NPR

George Santos shows how much the politics of shame have changed : NPR

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., made sure he was in a prime position for the State of the Union address.

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Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., made sure he was in a prime position for the State of the Union address.

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There was a time when shame was a powerful force in American politics. That time is not now.

Congressman George Santos is the embodiment of how times have changed. At the State of the Union address, the freshman Republican from New York famous for fabricating major elements of his life story made sure he had a coveted on-camera position near the center aisle.

That’s where he ran into Sen. Mitt Romney, a decidedly old-school Republican from Utah. Romney gave him an earful, and afterward told reporters “he shouldn’t be there and if he had any shame at all, he wouldn’t be there.”

Romney tells Santos 'you don't belong here' in a tense State of the Union run-in

Santos took office one month ago and his New York district says he's got to go

Santos, who faces multiple investigations for his questionable ethics, was defiant. He has resisted calls to resign from local Republicans like New York state Sen. Jack Martins, who expressed frustration at a recent press conference.

“It is probably impossible for us to get someone who has no shame to do what is right,” Martins said.

This is not the way things used to run, said Patrick Leahy, who recently retired after 48 years as a Democratic senator from Vermont.

“The fact that he is still here is a product of this time,” Leahy said. “When I came here, Republican or Democrat, his own party would tell him you have to go.”

It was conservative Republican senators who told former President Richard Nixon that if he didn’t resign, he would be removed by a Senate conviction, Leahy noted. Nixon resigned before he could be impeached.

But the United States is now in an era of post-shame politics. For a politician willing to put up with embarrassment, condemnation, a raft of jokes from late night comedians and a swarm of reporters chasing them day after day, surviving scandals is easier than it used to be.

Anthony Weiner announced his resignation from Congress on June 16, 2011, after he admitted to sending lewd photos of himself on Twitter to multiple women.

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Anthony Weiner announced his resignation from Congress on June 16, 2011, after he admitted to sending lewd photos of himself on Twitter to multiple women.

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It didn’t work for Anthony Weiner

Former Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner — now a local radio show host in New York — has been following the Santos drama with interest.

“We seem to be in a national version of that schoolyard game, ‘Top this’ — that if you do want to get into the shame hall of fame, you have to do a lot more than you had to do even 10 years ago,” Weiner said.

A little more than 10 years ago, Weiner tweeted out an up-close image of himself in boxer briefs. He lied about how it happened, and it only got worse from there. He ultimately resigned. Weiner later served time in prison for texting obscene material to a 15-year-old.

Beyond Scandalous Selfies: Documenting Anthony Weiner's Downfall

“I still today have people who stop me on the street and say, ‘you know what, you probably could have survived that scandal if you just put your head down,'” said Weiner.

Weiner doesn’t agree. For one thing, Democratic leadership made it clear he had to go. And he said being in Congress isn’t just about showing up. It’s about relationships and getting things done for your constituents.

“It’s really hard to do that when quite literally no one wants to be seen with you,” said Weiner.

Rep. George Santos walks through the hallways after a caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 10.

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Rep. George Santos walks through the hallways after a caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 10.

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Short of arrest, there’s little way to rein in a shameless politician

Santos has lied about, among other things, being Jewish, his mom dying on 9/11 and having employees killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting. But Republicans — who have only a narrow majority in the House — have shown no real desire to force him out.

Political scientist Lara Brown said short of arrest, there is little to rein in a politician who just doesn’t care what people think.

“Everything else is just about some level of personal pride and shame,” said Brown, who wrote her dissertation about congressional scandals. “And if you are completely shameless, then you can get away with quite a bit in our world.”

Former President Donald Trump at a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Oct. 9, 2021.

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Former President Donald Trump at a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Oct. 9, 2021.

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Trump was a master of showing no shame

Former President Donald Trump proved again and again that the rules of political gravity only apply if you care about the rules. Just a month before he was elected in 2016, old television footage came out of him casually describing groping women.

“When you’re a star, they let you do it,” Trump was heard saying. “You can do anything.”

Why Republican elites backed Trump: power, belonging ... and voter pressure

Some Republicans called for him to step aside. Some laid low, refusing to defend him. Trump somehow turned it to his advantage saying the media and establishment were out to get him.

Then came Greg Gianforte, a Republican candidate for Congress in Montana. He body-slammed a reporter on the eve of a 2017 special election, and won anyway. He later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault. Before long, Trump had turned it into a punchline, imitating the motions of a body slam on stage at a rally in Montana.

Gianforte just kept on winning and now he’s the state’s governor.

Protestors rally against then-Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam outside of the governor’s mansion in Richmond, Va., on Feb. 4, 2019.

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Protestors rally against then-Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam outside of the governor’s mansion in Richmond, Va., on Feb. 4, 2019.

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Democrats and Republicans face different kinds of pressure

In 2019, then-Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, faced a scandal about decades-earlier dressing up in blackface. A who’s who of Democrats demanded that he resign, but Northam persisted and eventually the controversy faded.

Amid Blackface Backlash, Ralph Northam Tells Staff He Has No Plans To Step Down

Northam is an exception of a Democrat who gutted it out, said Tim Miller, who worked on Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign. Miller said the political shamelessness is asymmetrical because Democrats and Republicans face different degrees of public pressure.

Democratic politicians pay attention to bad headlines in the mainstream media because “Democratic voters care and the media environment that Democrats are in lends itself much more to accountability,” said Miller, a former Republican.

For Republican politicians, said Miller, it can be easier to hang on. “Donald Trump and the conservative media echo chamber has made powering through a lot easier than it used to be,” he said.

There are corrosive effects of post-shame politics

Shamelessness can give a politician staying power, but it is also corrosive. Lara Brown, the political scientist, said it reinforces the notion that all politicians are liars.

“Most people when they think about politics, they think about our institutions, they think about Washington in general, they believe that all politicians are corrupt,” Brown said. “It’s all rigged. It’s all a lie.”

Not only does that degrade trust in institutions, Brown said it leads people to believe that if it is rigged anyway, they might as well rig it in their own favor.

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Records show George Santos’ mom wasn’t in the U.S. on Sept. 11

Records show George Santos’ mom wasn’t in the U.S. on Sept. 11

WASHINGTON — Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., has claimed that his mother was at her office inside of the Earth Trade Center for the duration of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but data attained by NBC News on Wednesday display she was dwelling in Brazil at the time.

The immigration records, unearthed as a result of a Flexibility of Information and facts Act request by genealogical researcher Alex Calzareth and initial described by The Washington Post, show that Santos’ mother, Fatima Caruso Devolder, was admitted to the U.S. in April 2003 and had not been in the country since 1999. She experienced been residing in Rio de Janeiro.

Devolder very last still left New York in 1999 and claimed in 2001 when she was back in Brazil that her green card had been stolen, in accordance to the documents. She later on used for re-entry and was re-admitted into the U.S. in 2003, the records show. Devolder indicated that she was unemployed or retired and that she planned to stay in Woodside, New York, a community in Queens, in accordance to the paperwork received by means of a FOIA ask for.

But even however the documents demonstrate Devolder’s absence from the U.S. from 1999 to 2003, Santos’ congressional marketing campaign website suggests: “George’s mom was in her office environment in the South Tower on Sept. 11, 2001, when the horrific functions of that working day unfolded. She survived the tragic events on September 11th, but she handed absent a handful of many years later on when she lost her fight to cancer.”

Santos’ office environment did not immediately react to a request for comment Wednesday.

In 2021, when he was managing for Congress, Santos claimed in a reply to an account on Twitter that 9/11 claimed his mother’s everyday living. His marketing campaign site says his mother died a several yrs immediately after the attacks she died in 2016.

Calzareth, who’s at first from Nassau County but not Santos’ congressional district, submitted the FOIA requests about Santos’ mother in late December. He explained he in the beginning designed the ask for since he was fascinated in viewing irrespective of whether Devolder was in the U.S. in 1988, when Santos was born. Governing administration information exhibit she was in the nation from the mid-1980s until finally 1999.

Santos has lied about substantially of his track record and résumé, and he is the subject of investigations at the point out, area and federal degrees. In an job interview previous month with the New York Article, he apologized for facets of his biography.

“I’m humiliated and sorry for getting embellished my résumé,” he explained, according to the paper. “I individual up to that. … We do silly items in life.”

Previous 7 days, The Hill claimed that Santos advised reporters, “I have completed very little unethical.”

A escalating selection of GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill are contacting for him to resign. But Home Republicans awarded him slots on two committees after stress arose to avert him from remaining seated on congressional panels.

Rebecca Shabad

Rebecca Shabad is a politics reporter for NBC Information centered in Washington.

Garrett Haake contributed.

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George Santos admits to lying about degrees. Do employers vet resumes?

George Santos admits to lying about degrees. Do employers vet resumes?
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More false claims from George Santos about his work, education and family history emerge

More false claims from George Santos about his work, education and family history emerge



CNN
 — 

Rep.-elect George Santos created additional phony claims more than the several years about his family members background, perform background and instruction in campaign appearances over the many years, a assessment of statements made in two of his strategies for Congress uncovered.

CNN’s KFile uncovered more falsehoods from Santos, including claims he was pressured to depart a New York City personal school when his family’s authentic estate belongings took a downturn and stating he represented Goldman Sachs at a top financial convention exactly where he berated the organization for investing in renewables.

CNN also reviewed a lot more instances of Santos providing more bogus heritage of his family’s qualifications. In a person job interview, Santos stated his mother’s family’s historic Jewish identify was “Zabrovsky,” and later on appeared to function a GoFundMe marketing campaign for a pet charity (which he falsely claimed was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit) below that alias. Genealogists CNN beforehand spoke with located no proof of Jewish or Ukrainian heritage in his relatives tree.

In a further, he claimed his mother, whose spouse and children has lived in Brazil due to the fact the late 1800s, was a White immigrant from Belgium.

Santos’ marketing campaign did not answer to CNN’s remark ask for.

Given that reports initially surfaced about his untrue statements, Santos has built endeavours to downplay his fabrications as mere “embellishments.” But the formerly unreported claims from Santos illustrate a pattern of fabricating aspects about his existence, typically in support of presenting a much more compelling or appealing private narrative. The Nassau County district attorney’s office environment mentioned Wednesday that it is wanting into Santos’ fabrications, although it did not specify the falsehoods it would explore.

In interviews above the previous couple times, Santos admitted to lying about pieces of his resume, which include graduating from university, but he explained to the New York Post that the misrepresentation of his function history at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup was a “poor alternative of text.” There is no file he labored at the major fiscal establishments in the state, as he experienced previously claimed.

Santos also denied that he falsely called himself Jewish, saying he “never claimed to be Jewish” but jokingly mentioned he was “Jew-ish” to the New York Publish. He also falsely claimed that his grandparents “survived the Holocaust” and fled Europe to escape Jewish persecution. But CNN discovered that Santos identified as himself an “American Jew” and “Latino Jew” on numerous instances. The Republican Jewish Coalition disinvited Santos from appearing at any of its functions simply because he “misrepresented his heritage.”

Despite the scandals, the New York Republican, who flipped his Long Island seat, mentioned he will just take place of work in January — spurring phone calls to resign from Democrats.

Here are some of the outright falsehoods CNN discovered:

In appearances, and in an old marketing campaign biography, Santos claimed his mothers and fathers sent him to Horace Mann, an elite private university in the Bronx.

“He commenced Horace Mann preparatory school in the Bronx, however, did not graduate from Horace Mann due to money issues for his family,” his biography read in 2019 for his initial marketing campaign for Congress that Santos lost. “He acquired a GED throughout his senior calendar year.”

Santos also built the same declare in an visual appeal on a YouTube display in 2020.

“They sent me to a very good prep college, which was Horace Mann Prep in the Bronx. And, in my senior yr of prep school, however my mothers and fathers fell on hard periods, which was something that would later grow to be recognized as the depression of 2008. But we were being hit a minimal earlier on with the overleveraging of serious estate. And the current market commenced to implode. Um, and the initially thing to go was the prep faculty. You know, you, you just can’t find the money for a $2,500 tuition at that issue, correct? So in any case, um, I remaining faculty, uh, four months to graduation.”

But the declare is phony, according to the university.

“We’ve searched the information and there is no proof that George Santos (or any alias) attended Horace Mann,” Ed Adler, a spokesman for the school, informed CNN.

“Have you at any time listened to of a Goldman Sachs personnel just take the stage at the premier non-public fairness meeting in the earth – SALT, operate by Anthony Scaramucci – and berate their employer? Very well, I did that,” Santos claimed on a regional podcast this summer time. “And I did it in the manner of renewable energy and international warming. This was the panel I was on. And they are all conversing about solar, wind, and this was back, what, 7 years in the past now? And I explained, you know what, this is a rip-off. It’s taxpayer dollars that receives backed.”

The assert is completely fictional, according to both of those Goldman Sachs – which has claimed Santos by no means labored there – and Scaramucci, who operates the convention.

Scaramucci advised CNN in a message there is not only no report of him appearing on a panel, but no history of him even attending the conference.

In an visual appeal on a Fox News electronic exhibit in February, Santos mentioned his maternal grandparents transformed their Jewish past identify from Zabrovsky – a assert for which there is no evidence and information contradict.

“We don’t carry the Ukrainian final title. For a lot of people today who are descendants of Planet War II refugees or survivors of the Holocaust, a great deal of names and paperwork had been changed in the identify of survival. So I never carry the spouse and children past identify that would’ve been Zabrovsky. I have my mother’s maiden title which is the Dutch side of the loved ones.”

Megan Smolenyak, an writer and professional genealogist who helped study Santos’ family members tree at CNN’s ask for, formerly instructed CNN, “There’s no indicator of Jewish and/or Ukrainian heritage and no sign of title modifications alongside the way.”

Santos deleted his former private Fb account past 7 days, but CNN’s KFile reviewed records indicating he applied the alias of “Anthony Zabrovsky” for fundraising for a pet charity. The GoFundMe website page underneath that alias no lengthier exists. CNN attained out to GoFundMe but did not acquire a response.

In one radio physical appearance from December 2020, Santos falsely claimed that his mother “fled socialism” in Europe and moved to the United States.

“My father fled socialism in Brazil. My mom fled socialism in Europe, and they arrived below and created a family members. And today they can be happy to have a son who is a effectively attained businessman, who is now jogging for United States Congress. Which is one thing that was not in the cards for my spouse and children,” Santos stated.

He also claimed in a different interview from 2020 that he “grew up with a White Caucasian mother, an immigrant from Belgium.”

But Santos’ mother was born in Brazil, in accordance to genealogical records.

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GOP Rep. George Santos ADMITS being serial liar who fibbed about his education and work experience

GOP Rep. George Santos ADMITS being serial liar who fibbed about his education and work experience

Incoming New York Republican congressman George Santos has finally admitted that he lied about working at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, as well as attending New York University and CUNY Baruch College, describing it as ‘resume embellishment.’

Rather than working on Wall Street in his pre-political career, he actually worked at a call center making $15 an hour, on a quiet industrial avenue in Queens, New York. 

He has also acknowledged never graduating from any college, despite earlier claiming to have a degree from Baruch in 2010.

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

GOP Rep. George Santos ADMITS being serial liar who fibbed about his education and work experience

Incoming New York Republican congressman George Santos has finally admitted that he lied about working at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, as well as attending New York University and CUNY Baruch College. Here he’s pictured on the campaign trail in Glen Cove, New York

Santos said he was working at Goldman Sachs. He was actually working at a call center in Queens for $15 an hour

Santos said he was working at Goldman Sachs. He was actually working at a call center in Queens for $15 an hour

The ‘openly gay’ Santos, who was revealed to have been married to a woman until 2020, currently lives in Long Island and has since remarried, this time to a man.

Santos had been married to a woman named Uadla between 2012 and 2019 but he now insists he is happily married once again. 

He came clean on Monday after lying his way along the campaign trail.

‘I am not a criminal. Not here, not abroad, in any jurisdiction in the world have I ever committed any crimes,’ Santos said in an interview with WABC radio.

‘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. I’ve been around a long time. I mean, a lot of people know me. They know who I am. They’ve done business dealings with me,’ he added.

New York GOP Rep.-elect George Santos has admitted to lying on his resume

New York GOP Rep.-elect George Santos has admitted to lying on his resume

‘I’m not going to make excuses for this, but a lot of people overstate in their resumes, or twist a little bit. … I’m not saying I’m not guilty of that,’ he said.

‘I want to make sure that if I disappointed anyone by resume embellishment, I am sorry.’ 

The Donald Trump-supporting politician won a historic victory on November 8 when he became the first openly gay non incumbent Republican elected to Congress.

Despite the blatant deception Santos told the New York Post he has no intention of stepping aside and still intends to take office in the new year.

Public records show that he was previously married to a woman named Uadla Vieira, a native of Brazil, until 2019

Public records show that he was previously married to a woman named Uadla Vieira, a native of Brazil, until 2019

The DISH Network call center in College Point, Queens, were Santos answered customer calls in Portuguese and English for $15 an hour between 2011 and 2012

The DISH Network call center in College Point, Queens, were Santos answered customer calls in Portuguese and English for $15 an hour between 2011 and 2012

‘I am not a criminal,’ Santos said. ‘This [controversy] will not deter me from having good legislative success. I will be effective. I will be good.’ 

Santos appeared to dismiss any concerns that his lies may affect his credibility.

‘I campaigned talking about the people’s concerns, not my resume,’ Santos told The Post.

‘I intend to deliver on the promises I made during the campaign — fighting crime, fighting to lower education, improving education. The people elected me to fight for them,’ he said.

‘I came to DC to bring results on those issues and that’s what I’m going to do.’

Questions were first raised after a New York Times report brought up a number of accusations including allegations he lied about his family’s history. 

It appears Santos lied his away along the campaign trail. Questions were first raised after a New York Times report brought up a number of accusations including allegations he had lied about his family's history

It appears Santos lied his away along the campaign trail. Questions were first raised after a New York Times report brought up a number of accusations including allegations he had lied about his family’s history

Santos' mother, Fátima Devolder, died in 2016. The congressman has claimed that she Jewish and was an executive working in the South Tower on 9/11. She was in fact a Brazilian Catholic

Santos’ mother, Fátima Devolder, died in 2016. The congressman has claimed that she Jewish and was an executive working in the South Tower on 9/11. She was in fact a Brazilian Catholic

On his campaign website Santos stated that his mother was Jewish and his Jewish maternal grandparents escaped the Holocaust by moving to Brazil but records show that his maternal grandparents were Brazilian-born Catholics.

Santos says that he’s ‘clearly Catholic,’ reframing his story as one his grandmother told about being Jewish before later converting to Catholicism.

Rather than working on Wall Street, Santos worked at a DISH Satellite call center from October 2011 to July 2012 at a breadline job based in the College Point section of Queens, living with roommates as he struggled to pay his bills. 

Explaining the discrepancy, Santos simply said he ‘never worked directly’ for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and that he used a ‘poor choice of words’ but in an attempt to justify his lie he said the company he worked for, Link Bridge, claims he did business with both Goldman and Citi. 

Santos said he made ‘capital introductions’ between clients and investors at both firms. 

Santos’ web of lies began to unravel last week as questions were asked of his resume and it became something of a ‘running joke’ within GOP circles.

‘As far as questions about George in general, that was always something that was brought up whenever we talked about this race. It was a running joke at a certain point. This is the second time he’s run and these issues we assumed would be worked out by the voters,’ said one senior GOP leadership aide who remained anonymous. 

Last week, Nassau County Republican Committee Chairman Joseph Cairo demanded Santos explain himself.

‘While I have indicated that the congressman-elect deserves a reasonable amount of time to respond to the media, voters deserve a sincere accounting from Mr. Santos. I will be listening attentively, and I want to hear meaningful remarks from George Santos.’

George Santos (right) poses with his then fiancé at Mar-a-Lago on New Year's Eve. Santos was the first outwardly gay Republican elected to the U.S. Congress

George Santos (right) poses with his then fiancé at Mar-a-Lago on New Year’s Eve. Santos was the first outwardly gay Republican elected to the U.S. Congress 

The Donald Trump-supporting politician won a historic victory on November 8 when he became the first openly gay non incumbent Republican elected to Congress.

He defeated Robert Zimmerman, an openly gay longtime left-wing operative, for outgoing Democrat Rep. Tom Suozzi’s seat in New York’s 3rd Congressional District.

Just before Christmas Santos promised that answers would be forthcoming tweeting: ‘To the people of #NY03 I have my story to tell and it will be told next week. I want to assure everyone that I will address your questions and that I remain committed to deliver the results I campaigned on; Public safety, Inflation, Education & more.’

While Santos worked at the call center, his roommate at the time, Gregory Morey-Parker, told the Times that Santos would tell outlandish tales about his family having property in Nantucket while his mother worked as a housekeeper. 

Another former friend, Peter Hamilton, said that he met Santos in 2014 and lent him money so that the Republican could move into a home with his boyfriend. 

When that loan wasn’t repaid, Hamilton took Santos to small claims court, where a judge ordered the Queens-native to pay up $5,000 plus interest. 

That same year, a landlord in Queens took Santos, his sister and mother to court over three months of unpaid rent which resulted in the trio being evicted. 

Hamilton told the Times: ‘I have regrets that I didn’t come forward before the actual election. At this point, it’s like, he’s defrauding the public.’

George Santos (left) shakes the hand of Rudy Giuliani (right). The New York Times found out Santos may have lied about where he went to school and working for big financial institutions like Citigroup and Goldman Sachs

George Santos (left) shakes the hand of Rudy Giuliani (right). The New York Times found out Santos may have lied about where he went to school and working for big financial institutions like Citigroup and Goldman Sachs

On Monday night, Santos' lawyer Joseph Murray put out a statement attacking The New York Times for 'launch[ing] this shotgun blast of attacks'

On Monday night, Santos’ lawyer Joseph Murray put out a statement attacking The New York Times for ‘launch[ing] this shotgun blast of attacks’ 

In 2015, another landlord took Santos to court over $2,250 unpaid rent. The same thing happened in 2017 with a different landlord who ordered the future representative to fork over $12,000. 

It wasn’t just landlords who had an issue, Discover Card won a judgement over Santos in 2018 to the tune of $1,027.45. 

DailyMail.com’s source said of Santos’ mother’s funeral: ‘When his mother passed away, he gave a fraudulent check to the funeral home.’

Santos told the church that his family could not afford the funeral for his mother Fatima Devolder. A collection was held at the church with the priest telling CBS that the money collected was ‘significant.’ 

DailyMail.com has also discovered a GoFundMe page that Santos set up to help to pay for his mother’s funeral in 2016.

The page raised $1,850 of a $10,000 goal. On that profile, he wrote that he and his sister were not working at the time of her death because she needed 24 hour care. 

On his campaign website, it reads: ‘George’s work ethic comes from his mother, who came from nothing, but worked her way up to be the first female executive at a major financial institution. On September 11, 2001, George’s mother was in her office in the South Tower. She survived the horrific events of that day, but unfortunately passed away a few years later.’

NY state Attorney General Letitia James' office is 'looking into' Santos

NY state Attorney General Letitia James’ office is ‘looking into’ Santos

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office has said that they are ‘looking into’ Santos’ finances. 

The AG’s office did not specify whether the New York Times story triggered the review, nor did it say whether a full investigation was being launched.

Santos’ lawyer, Joe Murray, did not have a response for DailyMail.com and said he has not been contacted by the New York State Attorney General’s office.

Santos previously billed himself as a ‘walking contradiction’ for being a non-white, LGBTQ Republican.

He’s used his identity to hammer Democrats for their own identity politics.

He previously claimed to DailyMail.com in August that he’s been all but excommunicated from the Big Apple’s LGBTQ crowd.

‘We’ve been scorned, exposed, I mean, I don’t even know what word to use. But we’re persona non grata in the gay community in New York City,’ Santos said at the time.

But earlier this week, his identity was put under serious scrutiny as more and more holes began to pop up in his background story.

Santos suggested he’d respond to the mounting claims within a matter of days.

‘To the people of #NY03 I have my story to tell and it will be told next week,’ the Rep.-elect wrote on Twitter.

An earlier statement by his lawyer reacting to the Times’ story called it a ‘shotgun blast of attacks’ against Santos.

Santos’ fellow future members of the New York congressional delegation were among the first to cry foul over his apparently misrepresented credentials.

Incoming Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called Santos ‘woefully unqualified.’

Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) wrote on Twitter: ‘Looks like far-right Republican George Santos, who fabricated his whole political identity, may have even lied about his sexuality. I may be the only actual openly gay member of Congress in New York in the New Year.’

And progressive firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), representing parts of Queens and the Bronx, raised questions about Santos’ timeframe for his rebuttal set for next week.

‘Why do you need a full week to confirm if you live where you said you did, worked where you said you did, went to school where you said you did…?’ Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter.