Incoming New York congressman may have misrepresented parts of his resume, New York Times reports

CNN  — 

Incoming Republican congressman George Santos may have misrepresented parts of his resume, a report in The New York Times finds.

The Times, citing public documents and court records, reported that key parts of Santos’ biography were either contradicted or not supported by evidence, including his education and employment history.

The Times report says Santos did not respond to repeated requests to furnish documents that would help to substantiate the claims while campaigning.

The report raises ethical and legal questions for Santos as he prepares to officially take on his role as a lawmaker in January as part of the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

Joseph Murray, an attorney for Santos, told CNN in a statement that the Times was attempting to “smear” the congressman-elect with “defamatory allegations.”

“Santos represents the kind of progress that the Left is so threatened by – a gay, Latino, immigrant 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,” Murray said.

According to the Times, Santos’ biography has at times listed education at New York University and earning degrees in finance and economics at Baruch College, but both universities told the Times they had no record of anyone with his name or birthday attending. Santos’ campaign biography also included mention of experience at financial firms Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, but both firms told Times and subsequently CNN they had no record of his employment.

Santos defeated Democrat Robert Zimmerman in a newly drawn district covering parts of Queens and some nearby Long Island suburbs, flipping control to Republicans, who dominated the New York suburbs on their way to winning a House majority. The GOP mini-wave outside the city set off roiling recriminations among New York Democrats, including calls for the state party chair to step down.

It was Santos’ second run – he lost to Rep. Tom Suozzi in 2020 – and most of the criticism he faced centered on his attendance of former President Donald Trump’s rally in Washington on January 6, 2021, and a video in which he claimed to have written a “nice check” to help alleged rioters with their legal fees.

His campaign message was largely focused on crime and inflation.

This story has been updated with additional reporting and reaction.