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Democrats are calling for Rep.-elect George Santos, a New York Republican who flipped a pivotal House seat on Long Island, to resign before even taking office after he admitted to lying extensively about his professional and educational background.

George SantosDavid Becker for the Washington Post
George SantosDavid Becker for the Washington Post© Provided by Salon

In interviews with the New York Post and WABC radio, Santos acknowledged that he had fabricated a number of claims about his work history and education during his two campaigns for Congress, describing his falsehoods as "having embellished his résumé." 

 
 
 
 

Santos denied reporting in the New York Times, however, which suggested that he had been convicted of a crime in his native Brazil. "I am not a criminal," Santos said in his interview with WABC radio host John Catsimatidis. "Not here, not abroad, in any jurisdiction in the world have I ever committed any crimes."

 

"To get down to the nitty-gritty, I'm not a fraud," Santos added. "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."

In fact, Santos has faced made numerous claims about his professional history that he has now admitted were false. In media interviews and campaign materials, he said he had worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. He never worked for either firm in any capacity.

He also said he had earned a college degree from New York's Baruch College and had attended New York University, neither of which was true. "I didn't graduate from any institution of higher learning," Santos told the Post. "I'm embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my résumé."

He also admitted this week that he had "never worked directly" with Goldman Sachs or Citigroup, blaming the discrepancy on "a poor choice of words," although his campaign biography prominently mentioned both firms as his prior employers. Santos said that he had actually worked for a company called LinkBridge Investors that had done business with those firms. The New York Times reported that LinkBridge did not respond to a request for further information.

Several Democrats have raised concerns that allowing Santos to serve in Congress after these admissions will set a dangerous precedent, paving the way for other candidates to falsify their backgrounds with little or no accountability.