Prosecutors open investigation into Rep.-Elect George Santos

The Long Island district attorney's office launched an investigation into the congressman-elect after it was revealed that he lied about his qualifications while campaigning.

Even as he admitted to a long list of lies,Santos showed no signs of stepping aside.

The Nassau County District Attorney is a Republican.

She said that the residents of Nassau County need an honest and accountable representative in Congress. We will prosecute crimes in this county.

He is going to be sworn in next week. He could be investigated by the House Committee on Ethics if he is elected.

The Republican has admitted to lying about having Jewish ancestry, a Wall Street background and a college degree, but he has yet to address other questions, such as the source of what appears to be a quickly amassed fortune despite recent financial problems.

Lalota said he was troubled by the revelations.

Lalota believes a full investigation by the House Ethics Committee is needed.

The New York attorney general's office is investigating issues that have come to light.

Brendan Brosh is a spokesman for the Nassau County District Attorney's office. The scope of the investigation was unclear.

Some Republicans castigated him, but they didn't ask him to step aside.

The chair of the Nassau County Republican Committee said that GeorgeSantos has broken the public trust by making serious misstatements.

Questions were raised after The New York Times looked at the narrativeSantos presented to voters during his successful campaign for a congressional district that straddles the north shore suburbs of Long Island and a portion of Queens.

Records in Brazil show that in 2008 a criminal investigation was launched in Brazil over allegations that he used stolen checks to purchase items at a clothing shop. He would have been 19 at the time. According to The Times, local prosecutors said the case was inactive because the man hadn't shown up in court.

He denied that he was wanted in South America.

Democrats demanded thatSantos not take office.

In an interview with the New York Post earlier this week,Santos apologized for his fabrications but downplayed them as sinners over exaggerating his resume.

He lied about earning a degree in finance and economics from a New York college and working for Citigroup and Goldman.

Beyond his resume,Santos invented a life story that has come under question, including claims that his grandparents fled persecution during World War II.

He referred to himself as a Jew during his campaign.

He backtracked on that claim, saying he never intended to claim Jewish heritage, which would have raised his appeal among his district's large number of Jewish voters.

He told the Post that he's a catholic. I said I was "Jew-ish" because I knew my maternal family had a Jewish background.

The Republican Jewish Coalition repudiatedSantos.

He lied about his heritage. He previously claimed to be Jewish, the coalition said. He will not be invited to any future events.

On Fox News Tuesday night,Santos was questioned by a former Hawaii congressman.

She said he didn't seem to be taking this seriously.

You have apologized, but you have lied. She said that a lie on a resume isn't an embellished one.

I agree with what you are saying. We can debate my resume and work history.

Is it true? There was a person who interrupted. Is it true?

He said it was not true. "It's questionable."

He ran again this year after losing his first race.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised several red flags about the Republican's record, but also accepted some of his assertions. He supported baseless claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election and was linked to the January Capitol insurrection. He was depicted as a far-right candidate. The DCCC had raised issues about his shaky financial standing and multiple evictions that left him in debt.

Federal campaign records show that he lent his campaign more than one million dollars, but the source of that money has yet to be explained.

The misrepresentations his opponent tried to raise did not gain much traction.

In order for a special election to be held,Santos needs to step aside.