George Santos, the Republican representative-elect of New York who admitted to lying about his job experience, college education and more, attended the opening day of Congress at the U.S. Capitol amid multiple investigations.
Why is George Santos under investigation?
Santos is currently facing federal and local investigations into his campaign finances after he loaned the campaign over $700,000 despite having recent financial problems, The Deseret News reported.
Additionally, law enforcement in Brazil announced Tuesday that it is resuming a criminal case against Santos who allegedly used a stolen checkbook under a false name in 2008, The New York Times reported.
The investigation was paused when authorities couldn’t find him in Brazil.
Reactions to George Santos’ first day
George Santos first day in Congress was an “awkward” one, The New York Times reported. “(Santos’) isolation was on display in the House. ... He sat alone in the back of the chamber, staring at his phone, even as a group of New York Republicans mingled not far from him.”
Additionally, Santos’ website posted a press release claiming that he had been sworn in to Congress, even though no representatives were sworn in yet, due to Congress failing to elect a House speaker, Jesse Rodriguez of MSNBC tweeted.
Democrat Tom Suozzi, George Santos’ predecessor in the House, reacted to Santos’ being seated in Congress by writing a column in The New York Times in which he stated that he was being succeeded by a “conman.”
“I’ve lost track of how many evasions and lies Mr. Santos has told about himself, his finances and his history and relationship with our stretch of Long Island and north-eastern Queens,” Suozzi wrote.
Santos being in the House of Representatives will “diminish our Congress, our country and my constituents — soon his constituents,” Suozzi stated.