Rep. George Santos, Republican of New York faced calls to resign after admitting that he fabricated much of his background during the campaign, has only three lines of entry in Congress’ official biographical directory.
Actually, he is currently in Congress and was born in 1988.
“SANTOS, George, representative from New York; born on July 22, 1988; an unsuccessful candidate for election to the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress in 2020; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred and Eighteenth Congress (January 3, 2023-present).
Entries for members of the House of Representatives on the congressional website are compiled by the House of Representatives historian. The site, officially called the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, is based on the printed version of the guide, which began in 1859.
Patrick Semansky/Associated Press
It’s not uncommon for a newcomer to Congress to have a short biography, but it usually at least mentions where the member was born and their educational and professional background, regardless of age.
For example, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), 25, the first member of Gen Z to be elected to Congress, has it, too three line entrywho listed his jobs before Congress as “campaign staffer; organizer; rideshare driver.”
Fellow new Florida Rep. Anna Luna, a Republican, only has a four-line entry, but includes National Guard service and previous jobs as an executive at a non-profit group and political commentator.
Santos, who is 34 (according to the directory entry), acknowledge the creation many of the backgrounds mentioned in the campaign, but only after some media outlets looked into it after the election.
He claimed to have graduated from Baruch College but later admitted he never graduated from college. Moreover, his claims to have worked for financial giants Citigroup and Goldman Sachs are not supported by these companies. He even had to answer the question of whether he was a Jew. “I am Catholic. Because I know my mother’s family has a Jewish background, I say that I am ‘Jewish,’ told the New York Post.
Santos is reportedly under investigation by federal prosecutors and the Nassau County district attorney’s office. Questions about his background and how he financed House races have led to calls, most recently by some party members in New York, for him to resign, which he has vowed not to do.