Serious questions raised about GOP congressman-elect George Santos
HUNTINGTON, N.Y. - Republican George Santos won a historic race for New York's 3rd Congressional District in November and he is expected to be sworn into Congress in January. But before that happens, many are demanding a dialogue with the congressman-elect.
An alarming article reported by the New York Times suggests the incoming House representative may have misled the public on key aspects of his life including his education and employment history after no records of Santos could be found.
Calls to the congressman-elect have gone unanswered.
In a statement, his attorney said the left is "threatened by a gay, Latino, immigrant and Republican" who won a Biden district and "It's no surprise that Santos has enemies at the New York Times who are attempting to smear his good name with these defamatory allegations."
Political analyst Michel Dawidziak said Santos has the right to have his side heard but the longer he stays silent, the worse it looks.
"If your defense is going to be this was all done by enemies because you are somebody on the hard right or whatever, that's not going to serve you well in the end," Dawidziak said. "I'm really kind of surprised the Democrats didn't discover this early in the campaign process and use it."
"Every person deserves an opportunity to 'clear' his/her name in the face of accusations," Nassau County Republican Committee Chair Joseph Cairo Jr. said in a statement. He said looks forward to Santos' responses to the news report.
But Democrat Robert Zimmerman, who lost to Santos, called these allegations validating.
"The failure of George Santos to answer any questions about the most basic aspects of his life and his finances and campaign financing demonstrates why he's a danger to our political process and a fraud," Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman is calling for a full House Ethics Committee investigation and demanding the U.S. attorney investigate as well.
Santos' attorney didn't answer any other questions but said more is coming.
New York's 3rd Congressional District covers parts of western Nassau County and eastern Queens.