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'Why would we listen to a liar?' Internet slams George Santos as he doubles down on Jewish heritage claims

George Santos revealed that he has spent the last 10 months working with a genealogist to provide evidence of his grandparents fleeing the Holocaust

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: In a recent interview on CNN's 'Inside Politics', New York Representative George Santos reaffirmed his claims of being of Jewish heritage, despite facing intense scrutiny and an ongoing legal battle.

George Santos' commitment to proving his claim

The embattled 35-year-old Republican revealed that he has spent the last 10 months working with a genealogist to provide evidence of his grandparents fleeing the Holocaust, a claim he made without concrete documentation.

"That's something I'm gonna... prove before I die," Santos stated during the interview. “Unfortunately Ukraine is in the middle of freaking war and my grandfather comes from Ukraine,” he said.

“I am working on finishing getting the last pieces of it,” he said of the alleged proof that his family did indeed flee the Holocaust. “Specifically the piece … where they go to Brazil and then have documents forged. Once I have everything ready, I will allow the same company hired to submit the report to the press with glee.”

Santos made it clear that he identifies as Catholic and comes from a Jewish family, asserting that he has never claimed to be Jewish. He explained, "I would always joke for years saying I was 'Jew-ish.' I was raised Roman Catholic... everybody thought it was funny."

Legal battles and indictment of George Santos

Santos' troubles began shortly after narrowly winning New York's competitive 3rd District in November, as revelations surfaced regarding fabricated aspects of his background. Despite the turmoil, he expressed no regrets about running for office, per the New York Post.

During the interview, Santos addressed the 23-count indictment he is currently facing, which includes allegations of embezzlement and lying to Congress. When asked about the possibility of a plea deal, he replied, "Those conversations are yet to be had."

Among the accusations are claims that Santos manipulated campaign finances to qualify for a program to receive GOP resources, a charge he vehemently denied. “I never, ever submitted or even looked at a single report,” he contended.

He added, “As far as all the allegations, remember how a campaign works. I’m a candidate, candidates do not handle money... I don't even know what the FEC filling system looks like.”

Prosecutors have suggested the existence of incriminating email and text messages and secured a guilty plea from Santos' former campaign Treasurer Nancy Marks. “I would love to see that,” Santos stated when asked about the communications. “It’s really easy to take things out of context.”

Santos also denied allegations that he falsely claimed to have loaned his campaign around $500,000, despite having significantly less in his bank accounts at the time. “I can guarantee you that I made the financial loans campaign that are on the record,” he said.

He further claimed, “I’d be very interested to know where they get that information. I’m totally going to defend that.”

Furthermore, he distanced himself from accusations of misusing campaign donor funds for personal expenses, insisting that any issues regarding such charges would be addressed and refunded as necessary.

“Whenever people say, Oh, I got charged again, we will refund them. It’s on the reports to the best of my knowledge,” he explained. “I can say that I did not handle donations.”

George Santos' financial challenges

Santos' campaign finances have taken a hit in recent times, with a significant debt increase in the third quarter. Nevertheless, he survived a bid in Congress to expel him, led by five fellow freshman New York Republicans. The effort to remove him from office was based on his blatant lies to the public regarding his educational background and other aspects of his biography.

“At that point, I understood, politics, it doesn’t matter what side you're on, it's about political experience,” Santos insisted, chalking it up to a ploy by his colleagues to “save face locally back home.”

However, Santos admitted to his mistakes, saying, "Insecurity, stupidity, I don't know... Look, I'm human, we make mistakes. I've apologized and I will continue to apologize profusely for this with remorse."

In addition to his legal challenges, Santos faces an investigation from the House Ethics Committee, which is set to reveal its findings by November 17.

Despite the controversies and stiff competition in the GOP primary and general elections, Santos remains determined. He claimed, “Nobody elected me because I play volleyball or not. Nobody elected me because I graduated college or not.”

“People elected me because I said I’d come here to fight the swamp, I'd come here to low inflation, create more jobs, make life more affordable and my commitment to America,” he further asserted.

Social media reacts to George Santos' claims of being of Jewish descent

Social media users were quick to criticize the New York congressman for his credibility issues as a snippet from the interview made its way to X, formerly Twitter.

"Why would we listen to a liar? Come on," one posted on X.

"Why have this guy on your show knowing he is going to lie?" another wrote, addressing CNN reporter Manu Raju.

"He’s pathological. Oh, and pathetic, too," a comment read.

"Next week he'll claim to have already died twice," someone else quipped.

"He also won the Nobel prize and Medal of Honor from the Afghanistan war," a fifth joked.