Elected Rep. George Santos Admits To Lying About His Education, Work Experience: Report

Embattled Republican Congressman-elect George Santos has admitted that he fabricated key details on his campaign biography but insisted that he will still serve as New York's representative in the next Congress.

In his interview with the New York Post Monday, Santos apologized for "embellishing" his resume and lying about his education and work experience but argued that he was not a criminal.

"I am not a criminal. This [controversy] will not deter me from having good legislative success. I will be effective. I will be good," Santos told the outlet. "My sins here are embellishing my resume. I'm sorry."

Santos admitted that he had "never worked directly" for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, claiming that it was a "poor choice of words." He claimed that a company called Link Bridge, where he worked as a vice president, did business with Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

The New York Republican also admitted that he is not a college graduate after claiming he had degrees from Baruch College and New York University.

In addition, Santos told the Post that he's "clearly Catholic" and that he never claimed to be Jewish, despite saying on his campaign website that his mother was Jewish and his grandparents escaped the Nazis during World War II.

The congressman-elect argued that he learned that his maternal family had a Jewish background.

"I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was 'Jew-ish,'" Santos said.

Santos also admitted that he does not own 13 different properties in New York and that he is now residing at his sister's place in Huntington.

Santos, the first openly-LGBTQ non-incumbent Republican elected to the House of Representatives, went on to address concerns that he lied about his sexual orientation.

Santos admitted that he was married to a woman from 2012 until they divorced in 2017. But the congressman-elect insisted that he is "very much gay" and is now a happily married gay man.

However, Santos denied the allegations raised by The New York Times that he was facing criminal charges in Brazil.

Despite being embroiled in the controversy, Santos remained defiant, saying he campaigned "talking about the people's concerns, not my resume."

Multiple unnamed insiders close to House GOP leadership told the New York Post that senior House Republicans were apparently aware of the fabrications in Santos' resume, and that the topic became a "running joke."

Last week, an investigation made by The New York Times revealed that most of the details in Santos' campaign biography could not be verified.

Santos earlier denied the report, as his lawyer accused the New York Times of smearing the congressman-elect's name with "defamatory allegations."

But Joseph Cairo, the Nassau County Republican Committee chairman, demanded that Santos answer the allegations against him.

Incoming House Democratic leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries blasted Santos, describing him as a "complete and utter fraud," Spectrum News NY1 reported.