NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — George Santos was sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives early Saturday morning after a marathon series of votes to elect Republican Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the house.
Since winning his seat in November, Santos has faced a torrent of accusations of fraud and lies about his background.
He’s currently facing three criminal investigations, and he was forced to apologize for lying about his heritage, job history and education history.
His lies came to light after he was elected to New York’s 3rd Congressional District on Long Island, flipping a Democratic seat.
U.S. federal and state prosecutors are investigating Santos’ financial dealings.
Santos was making $55,000 per year up until 2020, according to financial disclosure documents he filed during the campaign.
In 2021 and 2022, he reported income between $1 million and $5 million from a “capital intro consulting company.”
He turned around and funneled more than $700,000 of that newfound fortune into his campaign.
Santos is also facing an investigation from Brazilian prosecutors who accuse him of using fake checks in 2008.
Santos admitted to Brazilian police he forged a man’s signature on two checks to purchase over $1,300 worth of clothing and shoes, according to documents obtained by CNN.
Santos stood next to Reps. Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert as he was sworn in — two controversial politicians who have cultivated a following among far-right constituents.
Shunned by mainstream Republicans, Santos seemed to increasingly align himself with the far-right fringe of the party as the days-long speaker election process dragged on.
Santos, who lied about being Jewish, flashed an “okay” hand sign — a symbol that has been co-opted as a “white power” gesture — during one of his votes for speaker.
For white supremacists, the sign is meant to emulate a “w” with the pinky, ring and middle fingers and a “p” with the pointer finger and thumb — WP standing for white power.
The Anti-Defamation League has recognized the hand gesture as a hate symbol since 2019.
Santos Claimed in a 2020 Tweet that he is Caucasian and Black, though other lies about his genealogy have cast doubt on that claim.
C-Span footage of the incident shows Santos standing with his arms folded while waiting to cast his vote in the 10th attempt to elect now-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, who succeeded on the 15th vote.
When Santos raised his right hand to vote, he revealed he had been maintaining the sign with his left hand underneath his arm.
Santos consistently voted for McCarthy throughout the days-long ordeal, despite cozying up to members of the Freedom Caucus — the far-right group that led the rebellion against McCarthy’s bid for speakership.
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