New York state justice on Wednesday opened a preliminary investigation into the “amazing inventions” of a newly elected Republican parliamentarian to the US Congress, who admitted to grossly lying on his resume and who is being forced to resign.
George Santos, who snatched a seat from the Democrats in the November 8 legislative election for Nassau County — a part of Long Island east of New York City — confessed on Monday to having “embellished his resume” .
“The many inventions and inconsistencies linked to the elected parliamentarian [George] Santos are simply stunning,” Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly thundered in a statement relayed by the local New York press.
This Republican magistrate defended “the inhabitants of Nassau and other areas of the third district [qui] must have an honest and responsible representative in Congress” in Washington.
“No one is above the law and if an offense has been committed in this county, we will prosecute it” in court, committed the prosecutor.
Mr. Santos admitted never having worked for the big American banks Goldman Sachs or Citigroup, nor having a university degree from New York University (NYU), contrary to what he claimed.
This son of Brazilian immigrants born in Queens, one of the five boroughs of New York City, however categorically brushed aside the idea of giving up the seat he is supposed to occupy from January 3 in the House of Representatives.
He told the New York Post “not to be a criminal”.
These lies on several points of his biography were revealed in December by an investigation by the New York Times.
Several members of the Democratic Party have called on Republican Opposition Leader Kevin McCarthy to organize a vote to oust Mr Santos if he refuses to step down.
The state of New York, rather favorable to the Democratic party and led by the governor of this center-left organization Kathy Hochul, has seen several seats in the House of Representatives switch to the Republican side.
The Republican Party will thus benefit from a narrow majority in the lower house of Congress in Washington, but the Democrats will keep their majority in the Senate.