Despite admitting to lying about several aspects about his past throughout his successful campaign for congressman of New York’s third Congressional district, George Santos said he still intends to take office on Jan. 3.
While some people have defended Santos, saying he wouldn’t be the first politician caught lying, many northeast Queens residents who would be Santos’ constituents have voiced their distrust of him, saying he should resign for the betterment of the community.
Following a bombshell investigative story by The New York Times, Santos has admitted to lying about his past, as well as that of his family’s. Among the many lies Santos made throughout his campaign was that he attended the Horace Mann School, went to NYU, graduated from Baruch College with a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance, worked on Wall Street for firms like Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, was Jewish, lost his mother on 9/11, founded a nonprofit animal rescue organization called Friends of Pets United and had a family fortune valued in the tens of millions of dollars.
Due to his lies and the mysteries surrounding him and his actual wealth, Santos is already being investigated by federal and local prosecutors for any crimes he may have committed on the campaign trail. The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office was investigating “numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Congressman-elect Santos” while the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn is looking into his financial dealings.
Additionally, a spokesperson for the Queens District Attorney’s Office told QNS the office is reviewing whether or not they have jurisdiction over any possible offenses.
With more and more lies from Santos seemingly being uncovered each day, Santos appears to have lost the faith of many northeast Queens residents.
One resident who claims to be close with the Queens County Republican Patriots told QNS that the organization has lost faith in Santos. The resident claims the Patriots want Santos to resign from office due to his dishonesty to the public.
QNS has reached out to the Queens County Republican Patriots for comment and is waiting for a response.
Additionally, QNS spoke with several northeast Queens residents regarding Santos. While we received many responses from local residents, several requested to withhold their names from publication.
“If you lied on your resume and got the job and then the company found out, the company would fire you,” one Bayside resident told QNS. “It’s so hypocritical to for him to keep the job. Do a new vote in his district.”
Another Bayside resident, who identified as a Democrat, posed a theoretical situation in which a candidate for their party was in this exact situation.
“If he was a Democrat, I’d be embarrassed and disgusted and I would want him to resign,” they said. “I would call for a special election so that the people can decide who replaces him, not the governor or anything like that.”
While some acknowledged there isn’t much that can presently be done to oust Santos, they expressed optimism that the ongoing investigations turn something up that would force Santos to either resign or get expelled. However, it could take a long time before these investigations are completed.
Most of those who felt Santos shouldn’t relinquish his seat pointed out that he is not the first politician to get caught lying about their past.
One Bayside resident who identifies as Republican compared this situation to when Richard Blumenthal lied about serving in Vietnam during his 2010 Connecticut Senate campaign, as well as other past lies by politicians.
“Yes, George Santos lied and should be sanctioned,” they said. “But, here is the double standard: [Richard] Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, lied about serving in Vietnam and nothing happened to him. [Joe] Biden, another Democrat, has lied tens of thousands of times his whole 40+ year career and nothing has happened to him.”
Another Bayside resident also compared Santos lying about his past to President Biden. They argued the two aren’t really that different, as both have been accused — albeit to varying degrees — of telling false stories about their experiences.
“Didn’t someone else who now holds the highest office also tell many lies and false stories about his background and admit it?” they rhetorically asked.
Yet another Bayside resident discounted the severity of the situation because, in their opinion, “presidents, vice presidents and Congress members lie all the time.”
Great Neck resident Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, who resides within the third congressional district and identifies as a Republican, does not believe these “whataboutisms” are equal to all the lies Santos has told.
According to Wiesenfeld, having someone who’s become an outcast without any respect like Santos representing the district is equivalent to not having one at all.
Additionally, despite Santos’ claims of not intending to resign, Wiesenfeld believes that, with Santos being investigated by multiple district attorneys, he will end up resigning in an effort to get a lighter punishment from whatever wrongdoings he is found to have made.
“Who would want to be associated with or intern for this man?” Wiesenfeld asked. “He’s going to have to leave one way or another. People are entitled to have proper representatives. I think it’s better if we have another special election. This is not the way Republicans should want an advantage [in the House]. He should leave for our sake. We shouldn’t be disenfranchised in Queens.”
As of Dec. 29, Santos is being investigated by three prosecutor’s offices.
Whether or not Santos follows through with his intentions to represent Bayside and the rest of the third district will be determined Jan. 3, when he’s scheduled to take office.
