CNN
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Republican Rep. George Santos of New York admitted in two separate interviews on Monday that he lied about parts of his resume, but has committed no crime and serves in Congress. claimed to be.
Santos faces scrutiny over discrepancies in his work and education backgrounds, as well as other public claims about his biography. He admitted to falsifying some facts.
“I’m not a criminal. I’ve never committed a crime here, abroad, or in any jurisdiction in the world,” Santos said in an interview with WABC radio host John Katsimatidis. .
“To elaborate, I’m not a crook. I’m not a criminal who deceived an entire country and made up this fictional character to run for Congress. I’ve been there for a long time. know me. They know who I am. They did business with me,” he added.
“I’m not going to make excuses for this, but a lot of people exaggerate or twist a little bit on their resumes. …I’m not saying I’m innocent about it,” he said. .
Santos also admitted he never worked directly for financial firms Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, as he previously hinted, but claimed to have worked for them through his own firm. “Poor choice of words,” he told the Post. To say he worked for them.
He also told the Post that he did not graduate from any of them, despite claiming to have degrees from Baruch College and New York University.
“I haven’t graduated from any tertiary institution. It’s embarrassing and I’m sorry I garnished my resume,” he told the Post, acknowledging it, adding, “We do silly things in life.” added.
He told WABC:
The New York Times first revealed last week that Santos’ biography appears to be partially fictional.CNN confirmed details of its coverage, including his college education and work history.
House Republican leadership has remained silent amid the revelations. Minority leader Kevin McCarthy did not respond to CNN’s questions on Thursday.
Santos defeated Democrat Robert Zimmerman in a newly drawn district covering parts of Queens and some of the nearby Long Island suburbs to give Republican control over the New York suburbs en route to winning a House majority. handed over the rights.
It was Santos’ second run and he lost in 2020 to Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi. Most of the criticism he faced in his recent campaign came from his attendance at Donald Trump’s former President Trump rally in Washington on Jan. He claimed to have written a “nice check” to help with his attorney’s fees.
This story has been updated with additional context.