What could happen to the son of a Brazilian who was elected as a congressman in the USA after lying on his resume and accused of fraud?

George Santos, 34, the first openly gay Republican elected to the US Congress, said he did not consider resigning despite the controversy; He will be sworn in on January 3

He graduated from one of New York’s most prestigious universities. Former investment bank employee. Owner of 13 properties. “The Proud American Jew”, World War II. He is the grandson of Ukrainian Jews who fled to Belgium and then Brazil during World War II, before Nazi persecution. Founder of an NGO for the protection of cats and dogs…

The predicate list of 34-year-old George Santos, born in New York to a Brazilian immigrant family who entered politics to “fight the radical left” that threatens the “American dream”, is long. With this speech, he won a seat from former President Donald Trump’s Republican Party in the US House of Representatives (equivalent to the Brazilian House of Representatives) in the last election in November.

However, according to the American press, everything turned out to be baseless claims that he invented.

The revelations were first published by the New York Times after Santos, the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress, won seats in New York’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers parts of Long Island and Queens Counties.

The election of Santos helped the Republican Party regain control of the House of Representatives. Former President Trump’s party now has a slight majority against current President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party, which could challenge his tenure.

Santos will be sworn in on January 3, and despite criticism, including by members of his party, he is not considering resigning.

In an interview with the New York Post, he apologized after admitting to lying about his education and professional background.

“My sins here decorate my résumé. I’m sorry,” he told the daily newspaper.

Santos insisted he was “not guilty” and said the controversy would not prevent him from completing his two-year term in Congress.

But what could happen to Santos?

The online magazine Slate wrote that this was “truly unprecedented”, according to the American press.

For the first time in US history, a candidate does not lie to the public. However, it is common for these antics to emerge, often during the election race, and to be exploited by their opponents, leading to the liar’s defeat.

This was the case, for example, of Republican candidate JR Majewski, who lied about being deployed to Afghanistan while serving in the Air Force.

Republican Senate candidate from Georgia, Herschel Walker, allegedly lied during her campaign about paying for multiple female abortions, serving in the Armed Forces, and being an FBI agent.

However, neither Majewski nor Walker were selected.

Santos’ baseless allegations were used by him as proof of identity to serve in Congress and proved essential to the success of his campaign (read more below).

What can Congress do about it?

Not much and absolutely nothing, according to the American press, until Santos is sworn in in a week.

Do House and Senate ethics committees usually investigate lawmakers for actions they take while serving as congressmen? not for what they did before starting their mission.

There were some exceptions, such as when a female employee was investigated for “unintended advances” during the campaign of former Nevada Democrat Rubén Kihuen in 2017. At that time, the congressional ethics committee concluded that Kihuen had engaged in inappropriate behavior and sexually harassed. but he did not resign. Instead, Kihuen chose not to seek re-election in 2018.

It is not yet clear what Congress will do about Santos. After taking the oath, it will likely be the subject of ethical investigations.

Lying is not a crime, but according to the American press, Santos could be in real trouble if he breaks any campaign finance laws.

And there is reason to be skeptical: Santos has declared almost no assets and an annual salary of US$55,000 (about R$290,000 at current values) in his assets declaration from his failed 2020 campaign.

Already in the 2022 campaign, the asset statement showed an annual salary of U$750,000 (R$4 million) and several million assets, but no documents explain this jump. There are no publicly available details about the Devolder Organization, the alleged “family business” that allegedly manages assets of $80 million (R$424 million) and which may be a violation of federal law requiring disclosure of any damages exceeding $5,000 (R$) . $27,000) from a single source.

According to a Supreme Court case, the House of Representatives can only prevent candidates from being impeached if they lie about their state residency, age, and citizenship.

And if two-thirds of the House supports expulsion, members may be expelled after taking office for any misconduct.

understand the event

The New York Times, in a report published in the middle of this month after Santos’ election, claimed that Santos lied for most of his biography.

Headed by “Who Is Representative George Santos Elected? His Biography Could Be Largely Fiction,” the paper states, “A New York Republican, Santos says he is the “embodiment of the American dream.” But he seems to have misrepresented a few key points of his career.”

A lawyer for Santos at the time reacted to allegations that he was lying, describing them as “slanderous” and “offensive”.

Santos said he worked at two major investment banks, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, during his campaign.

In an interview with the New York Post following the New York Times report, he eventually admitted that he had not “worked directly” for any company, and admitted that it was a “bad choice of words.”

Santos claimed that he actually worked as a vice president at a company called Link Bridge, where he did business with two financial giants.

He also admitted that he did not go to college, although he previously claimed to have graduated from Baruch College, a prestigious New York educational institution, in 2010.

“I did not graduate from any higher education institution. I am ashamed and regretful for embellishing my resume,” he said. “I’ll admit it… We do stupid things in life.”

His Democratic rival, Robert Zimmerman, tweeted that Santos admitted he was a liar and said he should be held accountable for his actions by the Justice Department.

In another tweet, he suggested that Santos “resign and run against me in a special election” and “face his true past with the voters”.

Santos told the New York Post, “I campaigned by talking about people’s concerns, not my resume … I intend to keep the promises I made during the campaign.”

Santos, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, has already posed with Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP), advocated chloroquine as an effective drug against covid (no scientific proof), and opposes the so-called “gender ideology” took a stand.

Check out the main claims made by Santos:

Education: Santos admitted that he did not graduate from any higher education institution after first announcing that he graduated from Baruch College in 2010.

Professional career: Santos claimed to have served at finance giants Citigroup and Goldman Sachs during his campaign this year, but now admits that’s not true and told The New York Post that his tenure as vice president of LinkBridge Investors allows him to work with but not with these companies. told. directly at them by blaming a “bad word choice”.

Criminal record: The New York Times reports that it found court documents in Brazil showing that at the age of 19 he confessed to writing checks to police (including buying a pair of shoes) with a stolen checkbook, but Santos denies this. He told the New York Post: “I am not a criminal here in Brazil or in any jurisdiction in the world.”

In an interview with the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, the owner of the small store in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, who accused Santos of embezzlement in 2008, stated that he was 19 at the time and had purchased clothes worth R$2,144. “I remember why I had to pay this amount out of my own pocket,” said Carlos Bruno Simões.

Features: Santos previously claimed that he and his family owned 13 properties, but now admits that he has no properties in his name.

Eviction case: The New York Times stated that Santos was the target of eviction proceedings. Santos, who initially denied the allegations, confirmed that a judge had ordered him to pay more than $12,000 to a former landlord in Sunnyside, Queens. According to Santos, this happened because his mother had medical debt after her battle with cancer.

Marriage with a woman: The news site The Daily Beast reported that Santos, the first openly gay Republican to win a House membership, did not disclose his previous marriage to a woman during his campaign, despite telling the NY Post that he is now a happily married gay man. with her sexuality.

Family history: The campaign website said her maternal grandparents were “Belgian immigrants who fled the devastation of World War II in Europe” but were born in Brazil.

In a video interview, Santos said that his grandparents had heard the story of Holocaust refugees for a long time, but he never claimed to be Jewish (he describes himself as Catholic) and that his maternal grandfather’s Jewish heritage made him “Jewish.”

Employees at Pulse nightclub killed: During his campaign, Santos claimed that four of his employees were killed in 2016 when a gunman opened fire at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. . Later, Santos stated that the four people were “in the hiring process.”

“We lost four people who came to work for the company I started in Orlando,” he said.

NGO: Although Santos claims to have founded the NGO Friends of Pets United and rescued more than 2,400 dogs and 280 cats between 2013 and 2018, The New York Times reported that there is no official document from the US Treasury Department indicating the existence of these animals. . this institution. Santos now claims he only helps find foster homes for animals.

– This text was published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-64110095.