To hasten its plunge to the bottom of the political septic tank, the GOP has enlisted George Santos, the latest in an ongoing string of reprehensible Republicans incapable of speaking the truth. His blatant lies rival those of Donald Trump and Herschel Walker. 

Santos stated he was a student at Horace Mann Prep in the Bronx but had to leave shortly before graduation because his parents could not afford the tuition. School administrators responded to a Washington Post query stating “George Santos or any of the aliases you [cite] never attended HM.” Santos claimed he attended both Baruch College and New York University (earning degrees in finance and economics) and worked on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. More lies. When pressed about these falsehoods, he blandly admitted to “embellishing” his credentials and using a “poor choice of words” as if lying about your academic credentials was nothing more than an inconsequential exaggeration.

In a podcast interview, Santos claimed that “I’ve been to Moscow many times in my career” and that he had “a very extensive role in the oil and gas industry.” When asked for verification of these statements, neither Santos nor his representatives responded.

The New York Times reported that Santos had been charged with fraud in Brazil after he was apprehended writing checks with a stolen checkbook. Regarding these charges, Santos stated “I am not a criminal here — not here or in Brazil … that didn’t happen.” In Brazilian court filings, Santos is identified by his date of birth as well as by the names of his mother and father. Court documents show Santos confessed to the crime, with the case listed as unresolved after he disappeared.

In 2020, Santos filed a financial disclosure stating he had no major assets or earned income. Two years later, he loaned his campaign approximately $700,000. The source of this money is unknown. Santos claims that he had come into a great deal of money over the past 18 months — millions of dollars — although the financial data company Dun & Bradstreet reported in July 2022 that his family firm (the Devolder Organization) had $43,688 in revenue. 

In June 2020 Santos wrote on Twitter that he was the “grandson of Holocaust refugees” who came from Belgium to Brazil. Jewish leaders discovered that immigration records do not support this claim, and his family shows no evidence of Jewish ancestry and no plausible connections to the Holocaust in Europe. In December, Santos told the New York Post: “I never claimed to be Jewish … I am Catholic … because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was Jew-ish.” For Santos, claiming to be Jew-ish is harmless, akin to being a little bit pregnant.

In a 2021 tweet, Santos stated “9/11 claimed his mother’s life.” A few months later, he reflected on the fifth anniversary of her death in 2016. His website refers to this tweet stating “George’s mother was in her office in the South Tower … when the horrific events of that day unfolded … she survived the tragic events” but “lost her battle to cancer … she got caught up in the ash cloud.”

According to Santos, his mother did not seek financial help for her illness because she did not want to take money away from first responders. A Rolling Stone investigation could find no employment records that placed Mrs. Devolder (his mother) in or around the towers on Sept. 11. Santos also falsely claimed his father had been in the Trade Center towers the day of the attack. 

Shortly after his mother’s death on Dec. 23, 2016, Santos, according to a priest who spoke with CBS News, collected money from members of a Queens church stating he had no funds to bury his mother. He asked a former friend and co-worker to set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral expenses. Several hundred dollars were donated and given to Santos, who was using the name Anthony Devolder at the time. Less than two weeks later, Santos approached the friend about going with him on a ski trip to the Pocono Mountains, where he (Santos) had just rented a room.  

While a number of Republicans have been critical of Santos after his lies were made public, party leaders including Kevin McCarthy and Elise Stefanik have remained silent. CNN reported that a “significant campaign donor” (who requested anonymity) stated that he was introduced to Santos by Stefanik: “She asked me to talk to him when he first ran.” Stefanik’s office did not respond to a CNN request regarding this comment. 

The George Santos website states: “The American dream that George grew up living is now under an all-out attack from the Radical Left.” A typical MAGA ploy — when challenged about your lies blame those making the allegations. They’re the problem, not you.  

On Fox News, Tulsi Gabbard grilled Santos. “You’ve apologized, you said you’ve made mistakes, but you’ve outright lied. A lie is not an embellishment on a resume.” Gabbard pressed Santos about his “blatant lies … My question is, do you have no shame?”  

Representative Ritchie Torres, D-NY, said he will introduce legislation requiring candidates for federal office to provide details of their employment, education and military background under oath. He calls the bill the SANTOS ACT — Stop Another Non-Truthful Office Seeker. You can bet every MAGA Republican — starting with Stefanik — will vote against it. 

Donald Trump’s star is fading but Trumpism is alive and well. The MAGA wing of the GOP should stay “true” to its founder’s non-stop lying and run a Herschel Walker/George Santos presidential ticket in 2024. And their campaign slogan? “Truth — We don’t need no stinking truth.” How many tens of millions of votes would they receive?

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George J. Bryjak lives in Bloomingdale and is retired after 24 years of teaching sociology at the University of San Diego.

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Sources

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Bensinger, K. (2022) “Republican Jewish coalition says Santos ‘deceived us’ about his heritage,” Dec. 27, The New York Times, www.nytimes.com 

Blaine, K. and E. Steck (2022) “Santo’s claim about this mother and 9/11 faces scrutiny amid his other lies,” Dec. 22, CNN, www.cnn.com 

Bradner, E. and P. Brown McKend (2022) “Santos campaign finances show dozens of expenses just below the FEC’s threshold to keep receipts,” Dec. 30, CNN, www.cnn.com 

Ellison, S. (2022) “A tiny paper broke the George Santos scandal but no one paid attention,” Dec. 29, The Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com 

Ehrlich, B., N. Ramirez and A. Rawnsley (2022) “George Santos says his mom died of 9/11 related illnesses. Advocates say he’s lying,” Dec. 29, The Rolling Stone, www.rollingstone.com 

“George Santos” (accessed 2023) George Santos Website, www.georgeforny.com 

Gold, M. and G. Ashford (2022) “George Santos admits to lying about college and work history,” Dec. 26, The New York Times, www.nytimes.com 

Hooper, K. (2002) “Santos struggles in Fox News interview about lying and integrity,” Dec. 28, Politico, www.politico.com 

Paybarah, A. and C. DeChalus (2022) “The talented Mr. Santos: A congressman-elect’s unraveling of deception.” Dec. 31, The Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com 

Robinson, E. (2022) “Opinion: In George Santos, the GOP gets the representative-elect it deserves,” Dec. 29, The Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com 

Shah, A (2022) “GOP in disarray! MTG bashes Tulsi Gabbard over George Santos interview,” Dec. 28, Salon, www.salon.com