Since Monday, the newly elected George Santos has been at the center of a great political controversy in the United States. It is said that the Republican lied about his entire biography, even going so far as to invent grandparents who fled Nazism during World War II. A possible web of lies that, however, might not prevent him from taking a seat in Congress.
Who is it? Where does he come from? What does he do? Questions about George Santos have been mounting since the US media ‘The New York Times’ made scandalous revelations about the profile of this newly elected Republican in the House of Representatives.
At the moment, the only certainties are that “this 34-year-old, the son of Brazilian immigrants, won a New York district that was considered Democratic in November 2022,” says the news site ‘Vox’. A victory that also allows George Santos to become the first openly gay conservative to enter Congress without having previously held elected office.
A 100% fake CV?
Otherwise, George Santos would be a blank slate. In fact, he “built his candidacy on the idea that he embodied the quintessential American dream,” when in fact he made it all up, says the ‘New York Times.’
The story he sold to New York voters was that of a young man who had risen from a disadvantaged background – a poor family, a public school education – to become a successful financier with millions of dollars.
The biography he wrote for his campaign website – now only available at Web-archive.org – mentioned jobs at Wall Street giants such as Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.