New Report Casts Doubt on Rep.-Elect George Santos' Past Assertions About Being Jewish
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Ronda Churchill/Bloomberg via Getty George Santos
A new report alleges that incoming U.S. Rep. George Santos has obscured more details about his past, calling into question whether his grandparents were actually Jewish immigrants who fled persecution during World War II.
Jewish newspaper Forward analyzed genealogical data from myheritage.com which seemingly shows that both of the New York representative-elect's maternal grandparents were born in Brazil before the war, despite Santos having previously laid claim to Jewish heritage on his campaign website and throughout his campaign.
"George's grandparents fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII," Santos' website currently reads.
The 34-year-old Santos — who in recent days attended a Hanukkah party on Long Island and went to the Republican Jewish Coalition annual meeting last month — has not responded to the new allegations, per The New York Times, but the Republican Jewish Coalition is now among a growing contingent of Americans who believe that lying about such a thing would be problematic.
"These allegations, if true, are deeply troubling," the coalition's director, Matt Brooks, told the outlet. "Given their seriousness, the congressman-elect owes the public an explanation, and we look forward to hearing it."
RELATED: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry Resigning After Being Found Guilty of Lying to Investigators in Campaign Probe
Last week, the newspaper published a story which found much of the incoming lawmaker's background to be mired in mystery.
The Times reported that Santos built his campaign on being the "embodiment of the American dream," but much of his campaign biography — including alleged stints at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, and an animal rescue charity he says he founded — could not be verified.
Santos has also previously said he graduated from Baruch College in 2010 and, in a biography on the National Republican Congressional Committee's website, cites a stint at New York University. According to the Times, neither school could find a record of anyone matching his name or date of birth who had attended.
Last Monday, the same day as the report was published, Santos released a statement via his attorney in which he did not deny the disputed allegations.
"George Santos represents the kind of progress that the Left is so threatened by — a gay, Latino first generation American and Republican who won a Biden district in overwhelming fashion by showing everyday voters that there is a better option than the broken promises and failed policies of the Democratic Party," the statement began.
It continued, "After four years in the public eye, and on the verge of being sworn in as a member of the Republican led 118th Congress, the New York Times launches this shotgun blast of attacks. It is no surprise that Congressman-elect Santos has enemies at the New York Times who are attempting to smear his good name with these defamatory allegations."
The statement concluded with a quote that was falsely attributed to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill: "As Winston Churchill famously stated, 'You have enemies? Good, it means that you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.'"
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who is the incoming House Democratic leader, said on Wednesday prior to the Forward's reporting that Santos is a "complete and utter fraud."
"His whole life. Made up," Jeffries said at a news conference in Washington. "Did you perpetrate a fraud on voters of the Third Congressional District of New York?"
