Democrats Call for Investigation into GOP Newcomer George Santos After He Admitted to Fabricating His Past

John Locher/AP Photo

Democrats are calling on U.S. Rep.-elect George Santos to resign before he is sworn in next week, following the incoming lawmaker's confirmation that he lied about several aspects of his past — including his education, career and religious background.

On Monday Santos, 34, told The New York Post that he lied about working at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and confirmed that he had also embellished his education, noting that he did not attend Baruch College or New York University as he'd previously claimed.

"I didn't graduate from any institution of higher learning," Santos said on Monday to the Post. "I'm embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume. I own up to that ... we do stupid things in life."

Santos' interview with the Post came days after his lies were uncovered in an investigation by The New York Times, which found that there were significant parts of his life that could not be verified.

RELATED: Incoming Rep. George Santos Apologizes for 'Embellishing My Resume': 'I Said I Was Jew-ish'

While Santos said the lies would not stop him from taking the oath of office on Jan. 3, House Democrats are calling on him to resign.

California Rep. Ted Lieu, who will soon be vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, wrote on Twitter: "GOP Congressman-elect George Santos, who has now admitted his whopping lies, should resign. If he does not, then @GOPLeader should call for a vote to expel @Santos4Congress."

Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro echoed Lieu, adding that Santos should also be investigated over his claims.

"George Santos should resign as Congressman-elect. If he refuses, Congress should expel him," Castro wrote. "He should also be investigated by authorities. Just about every aspect of his life appears to be a lie. We've seen people fudge their resume but this is total fabrication."

Speaking to the Post, Santos also denied that he had previously claimed he was Jewish, after a report from Jewish newspaper Forward called into question whether his grandparents were actually Jewish immigrants who fled persecution during World War II, as his website had previously claimed.

"George's grandparents fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII," Santos' website read last week. (The About page containing the information has since been removed from his site.)

"I never claimed to be Jewish," Santos told The Post. "I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was 'Jew-ish.'"

RELATED: New Report Casts Doubt on Rep.-Elect George Santos' Past Assertions About Being Jewish

Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty George Santos

But some questions about Santos' past remain unanswered — including those regarding his financial backing.

According to the Times, Santos was a call center employee for Dish Network in 2012, found that his family frequently struggled to pay rent in Queens over the years, borrowed thousands of dollars from a friend which the acquaintance said he never repaid.

By 2020, Santos had launched a run for the house, stating in a financial disclosure that year that he had no assets and no earned income.

But his financial situation appeared to have markedly improved by the time he decided to launch a second run for the House in 2022, with Federal Election Commission filings showing he lent at least $580,000 to his campaign, and $27,000 to his political action committee.

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In an on-camera interview with City and State NY on Monday, Santos claimed he "started building wealth" after opening a company called the Devolder Organization, saying: "it just worked because I had the relationships and I started making a lot of money. And I fundamentally started building wealth."

When he entered politics, he told the radio show, "I decided I'd invest in my race for Congress. There's nothing wrong with that."

According to The Washington Post, documents filed with the Florida secretary of state show that the company — which Santos has said is a privately-held family firm — was organized just one month before the Republican declared his latest candidacy in 2021.