Embattled congressman-elect George Santos (R) is now having to explain another alleged fabrication of his record, this time when he claimed to be a "proud American Jew," The Forward reports.
The Forward obtained a two-page document Santos shared with Jewish groups where he claimed to “have been to Israel numerous times from educational, business, and leisurely trips," but a reviews of his records show no such trips.
"According to genealogy websites reviewed by The Forward and reported last week, Santos falsely claimed to have Jewish grandparents who fled anti-Jewish persecution in Ukraine and then Belgium during World War II," The Forward's report stated. "The website MyHeritage.com lists Santos’ maternal grandparents as having both been born in Brazil before the Nazis rose to power. Santos’ mother, Fatima Alzira Caruso Horta Devolder, who died in 2016, regularly shared posts with Catholic themes and images of Jesus on her Facebook page."
Speaking to the New York Post this Monday, Santos admitted to lying about his record but then offered contradictory statements about his Jewish heritage claims, saying that he “never claimed to be Jewish” and that because his maternal family had a Jewish background, he said he was "Jew-ish."
In another interview, he claimed he always jokes he is “also Jew-ish – as in ‘ish.’” He then complained that “people are rushing to disinherit me from being Jewish or even allowing to care for Israel and Judaism in a time and era where antisemitism is at an all-time rise.”
In light of the new revelations, the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) on Tuesday said Santos “deceived” the organization and “misrepresented” his Jewish heritage and banned him from attending any of their events.
RJC CEO Matt Brooks said he was “disappointed” in Santos.
“He deceived us and misrepresented his heritage. In public comments and to us personally he previously claimed to be Jewish,” Brooks said in a statement. “He has begun his tenure in Congress on a very wrong note. He will not be welcome at any future RJC event.”
Read the full report at The Forward.