A defiant Congressman-elect George Santos complained Tuesday night that “everybody desires to nitpick” him for lying to voters about his job experience, education and religion, insisting there was room for debate concerning the extent of his flagrant falsehoods.
Santos, a 34-year-old Republican who was elected Nov. 8 to represent Long Island’s North Shore within the House of Representatives, made the comments on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” after coming clean to The Post a day before about his grand deception.
When guest host Tulsi Gabbard asked Santos if he “had no shame,” the Republican turned the query back on the previous Democratic lawmaker.
“Tulsi, I can say the identical thing concerning the Democrats and, and the party,” Santos responded. “Take a look at Joe Biden. Joe Biden’s been lying to the American people for 40 years. He’s the president of america. Democrats over-resoundingly support him. Do they don’t have any shame?”
Santos also tried to downplay his false claims that he worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, claiming his resume fraud was an embellishment, not an outright lie.
“We will debate my resume and the way I worked with firms comparable to Goldman…,” he began.
“Is it debatable?” Gabbard cut him off. “Or is it just false?”
“No, it’s not false in any respect, it’s debatable,” said Santos — who then argued that explaining how he allegedly did business with Goldman Sachs and Citigroup while employed at private equity firm Link Bridge would go “way over the American people’s head.”
Santos admitted Monday he had not graduated from college or worked on the high-profile Wall Street firms. He also confessed to being Catholic, despite the fact that he called himself a “proud American Jew” on the campaign trail.
The disgraced Congressman-elect, who was spotted moving items into his sister’s apartment in Elmhurst earlier Tuesday, also told The Post that he didn’t own any properties after claiming to have greater than a dozen, and acknowledged he had stiffed a Queens landlord for $12,000.
Santos also tried Tuesday to elucidate his false claims that his mother was Jewish and that his grandparents escaped the Nazis during World War II.
“My heritage is Jewish, I’ve all the time identified as Jewish. I used to be raised a practicing Catholic. I believe I’ve undergone this,” he told Gabbard.
“Even [though] I’ve not, not been raised a practicing Jew, I’ve all the time joked with friends and circles — even within the campaign, I’d say ‘Guys, I’m Jew-ish.’ Remember, I used to be raised Catholic. So look, I understand and everybody desires to nitpick at me.
“I’m gonna reassure this once and for all,” Santos continued. “I’m not a façade, I’m not a persona. I actually have an in depth profession that I worked really hard to attain, and I’m going to deliver for my experience cause I remain committed to delivering results for the American people.”
When asked by Gabbard what the word “integrity” meant to him, Santos said it was “very vital.”
“It means to, to hold yourself in an honorable way. And I made a mistake. And I believe humans are flawed and all of us make mistakes, Tulsi. Um, I believe we are able to all have a look at ourselves within the mirror and admit that when we’ve made a mistake.
“I’m having to confess this on national television for the entire country to see and I actually have the courage to accomplish that because I feel that with the intention to move past this and move forward and be an efficient member of Congress, I actually have to face my mistakes, and I’m facing them,” he said.
Santos then tried a recent tack, saying he lied about crucial features of his personal and skilled life because he had a troublesome upbringing.
“The fact is that I remain committed to doing every thing I set forth in my campaign,” he said. “I’m not a fraud, I’m not a fake. I didn’t materialize from thin air. I worked rattling hard to get where I got my entire life. Life wasn’t easy, it didn’t start off easy. As I’ve said many, repeatedly, I come from abject poverty.”
“Congressman-Elect Santos, we’ve given you quite a lot of time,” Gabbard said to conclude the interview. “The time that’s owed is to the people of Latest York’s Third [District]. It’s hard to assume how they possibly could trust your explanations if you’re not likely even willing to confess the depth of your deception to them.”
A defiant Congressman-elect George Santos complained Tuesday night that “everybody desires to nitpick” him for lying to voters about his job experience, education and religion, insisting there was room for debate concerning the extent of his flagrant falsehoods.
Santos, a 34-year-old Republican who was elected Nov. 8 to represent Long Island’s North Shore within the House of Representatives, made the comments on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” after coming clean to The Post a day before about his grand deception.
When guest host Tulsi Gabbard asked Santos if he “had no shame,” the Republican turned the query back on the previous Democratic lawmaker.
“Tulsi, I can say the identical thing concerning the Democrats and, and the party,” Santos responded. “Take a look at Joe Biden. Joe Biden’s been lying to the American people for 40 years. He’s the president of america. Democrats over-resoundingly support him. Do they don’t have any shame?”
Santos also tried to downplay his false claims that he worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, claiming his resume fraud was an embellishment, not an outright lie.
“We will debate my resume and the way I worked with firms comparable to Goldman…,” he began.
“Is it debatable?” Gabbard cut him off. “Or is it just false?”
“No, it’s not false in any respect, it’s debatable,” said Santos — who then argued that explaining how he allegedly did business with Goldman Sachs and Citigroup while employed at private equity firm Link Bridge would go “way over the American people’s head.”
Santos admitted Monday he had not graduated from college or worked on the high-profile Wall Street firms. He also confessed to being Catholic, despite the fact that he called himself a “proud American Jew” on the campaign trail.
The disgraced Congressman-elect, who was spotted moving items into his sister’s apartment in Elmhurst earlier Tuesday, also told The Post that he didn’t own any properties after claiming to have greater than a dozen, and acknowledged he had stiffed a Queens landlord for $12,000.
Santos also tried Tuesday to elucidate his false claims that his mother was Jewish and that his grandparents escaped the Nazis during World War II.
“My heritage is Jewish, I’ve all the time identified as Jewish. I used to be raised a practicing Catholic. I believe I’ve undergone this,” he told Gabbard.
“Even [though] I’ve not, not been raised a practicing Jew, I’ve all the time joked with friends and circles — even within the campaign, I’d say ‘Guys, I’m Jew-ish.’ Remember, I used to be raised Catholic. So look, I understand and everybody desires to nitpick at me.
“I’m gonna reassure this once and for all,” Santos continued. “I’m not a façade, I’m not a persona. I actually have an in depth profession that I worked really hard to attain, and I’m going to deliver for my experience cause I remain committed to delivering results for the American people.”
When asked by Gabbard what the word “integrity” meant to him, Santos said it was “very vital.”
“It means to, to hold yourself in an honorable way. And I made a mistake. And I believe humans are flawed and all of us make mistakes, Tulsi. Um, I believe we are able to all have a look at ourselves within the mirror and admit that when we’ve made a mistake.
“I’m having to confess this on national television for the entire country to see and I actually have the courage to accomplish that because I feel that with the intention to move past this and move forward and be an efficient member of Congress, I actually have to face my mistakes, and I’m facing them,” he said.
Santos then tried a recent tack, saying he lied about crucial features of his personal and skilled life because he had a troublesome upbringing.
“The fact is that I remain committed to doing every thing I set forth in my campaign,” he said. “I’m not a fraud, I’m not a fake. I didn’t materialize from thin air. I worked rattling hard to get where I got my entire life. Life wasn’t easy, it didn’t start off easy. As I’ve said many, repeatedly, I come from abject poverty.”
“Congressman-Elect Santos, we’ve given you quite a lot of time,” Gabbard said to conclude the interview. “The time that’s owed is to the people of Latest York’s Third [District]. It’s hard to assume how they possibly could trust your explanations if you’re not likely even willing to confess the depth of your deception to them.”
