by After calls for his resignation and labels such as “sick puppy” and “sociopath” from members of his own party, newly elected Republican US Representative George Santos has described himself as “simple” in defending himself against an avalanche of allegations of fraud and fraud. art.
But in that same interview, the freshman congressman from New York seemed to add to a growing list of fabrications when he detailed a recent conversation with Senator Kyrsten Sinema — whose cabinet he said never took place.
During a wide-ranging interview with right-wing Newsmax media personality Greg Kelly, Santos said the money that powered his campaign — which faces multiple allegations of campaign finance violations — was legitimately raised through his company, which he said to have lent the financing.
“It’s about getting things done, having someone like me come in to represent other people like me: simple-minded people who come from nothing and have a voice in Congress,” he said.
He also addressed a tense exchange with Republican Senator Mitt Romney during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, adding that, unlike Republican Senator from Utah, Ms. there, buddy” – which Sinema denied ever happened.
Romney told reporters that when he saw Santos in an aisle seat where members of Congress were waiting to shake hands with the presidential office and the president himself, he told Santos that “you don’t belong here.”
He later told reporters that Mr. Santos is a “sick puppy” who would not be at the address if he “had any shame”.
The day after the president’s comments, Santos called Romney’s remarks “reprehensible” and “humiliating.”
“It wasn’t very Mormon of him,” he said of Romney, a member of the Church of Latter-day Saints.
Mrs. Sinema, on the other hand, “said something along the lines of ‘hold on friend’ or something like that,” Santos told Newsmax.
“I said, ‘Thank you, Madam Senator,’” he added. “She was very polite, very kind as I learned to see her. She is a good person, unlike Mr. Romney.”
The office of Mrs. Sinema categorically rejected her claim.
“That’s a lie,” Sinema spokeswoman Hannah Hurley told CNN.
In his interview, Mr. Santos was also questioned about his false claims about his resume and education, which he admitted to fabricating. He suggested that Republicans in Nassau County, New York, would not have endorsed him had he admitted that he never finished college.
“Look, Greg, here’s the thing. I would never have gotten the Nassau County GOP nomination if I hadn’t completed college,” he said. “That was really the main driver because of the manner and nature of their policy over there, it’s plain and simple.”
Santos admitted to embellishing allegations about working for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, although he claimed he “never lied” because he allegedly worked for contractors hired by both companies.
“I want to clarify my work experience. I never lied. I have never worked directly for Goldman Sachs or Citigroup, but I have worked under direct contracts for those companies in managing limited partner and general partner relationships,” he said.
“I am human. I made mistakes,” he added. “I made peace with those mistakes and confessed them.”
