Republican Congressman-elect is a total charlatan with an entirely fake résumé

[Anonymous]

My Jewish mother who was both a Brazilian nurse and a financial services executive working at the WTC on 9/11 …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:A guy who didn’t pay multiple landlords, bounced bad checks, had a fake charity that just hovered up donations for personal expenses, no money to his name…..then suddenly he gets $750K salary and a “dividend” of $1m-$5m from a phony consulting company he owns with no clients in the months leading up to the general election.

Who owns Santos? This is disgusting.

The FTX guys gave him a lot of money, because of course.

https://www.theleaderonline.com/single-post/the-golden-age-of-the-grifter

Now I'm just laughing!

Whoa, hold up. He was bank rolled by FTX? I thought they sponsored D candidates?

FTX has a super weird timeline if you look into it. They went from nothing to being a Formula 51 sponsor and in talks to have naming rights to an arena in mere months. There are already a lot of questions about FTX but I havent seen any press delve into their implausible timeline yet.

Check the FTX thread, SBF said in an interview that he gave just as much money to Republicans as Democrats, but the Republicans got dark money. And Ryan Salame only gave to Republicans.

Okay, thanks. I hadnt caught that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Fatima’s Jewish-Ukrainian parents, by way of Belgium, were named Paul and Rosalina Devolder.

It’s early but Paul doesn’t strike me as a common name for Jewish people.

JTA is skeptical:

“Not addressed in the article: Was he lying about his Jewish background? As with so much else in his personal narrative, there’s little to suggest truth beyond his own past comments.

The Times noted that Santos, 34, has identified to Jewish Insider as Jewish through his mother and Catholic through his father. Both parents were born in Brazil. Santos has said on Twitter that he is a practicing Catholic — and it is not unusual for some Americans to identify as ethnically Jewish and religiously Christian.

“Whether my mother’s Jewish background beliefs, which are mine or my father’s Roman Catholic beliefs, which are also mine, are represented or not,” he told Jewish Insider after his election, “I want to represent everyone else that practices every other religion to make sure everybody feels like they have a partner in me.”
https://www.jta.org/2022/12/19/politics/congressman-elect-george-santos-campaigned-as-a-jewish-republican-was-he-lying

Fatima isn't a Jewish or Ukrainian name, either.

In Brazil, it’s just dated. NBD.

The point you missed is that it is more commonly a Portuguese name, as opposed to Ukrainian, much less for Jewish parents born, in the 1920s or 1930s. DeVolder certainly would be common among the Flemish in Belgium but that doesn’t dovetail with the Ukrainian origin story. It’s a fabrication.

*edited

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fatima’s Jewish-Ukrainian parents, by way of Belgium, were named Paul and Rosalina Devolder.

It’s early but Paul doesn’t strike me as a common name for Jewish people.

JTA is skeptical:

“Not addressed in the article: Was he lying about his Jewish background? As with so much else in his personal narrative, there’s little to suggest truth beyond his own past comments.

The Times noted that Santos, 34, has identified to Jewish Insider as Jewish through his mother and Catholic through his father. Both parents were born in Brazil. Santos has said on Twitter that he is a practicing Catholic — and it is not unusual for some Americans to identify as ethnically Jewish and religiously Christian.

“Whether my mother’s Jewish background beliefs, which are mine or my father’s Roman Catholic beliefs, which are also mine, are represented or not,” he told Jewish Insider after his election, “I want to represent everyone else that practices every other religion to make sure everybody feels like they have a partner in me.”
https://www.jta.org/2022/12/19/politics/congressman-elect-george-santos-campaigned-as-a-jewish-republican-was-he-lying

Fatima isn't a Jewish or Ukrainian name, either.

In Brazil, it’s just dated. NBD.

The point you missed is that it is more commonly a Portuguese name, as opposed to Ukrainian, much less Jewish, in the 1920s or 1930s. DeVolder certainly would be common among the Flemish in Belgium but that doesn’t dovetail with the Ukrainian origin story. It’s a fabrication.

Tell me you know nothing about Brazil without telling me you know nothing about Brazil. The story is likely a fabrication, but his mother’s name is typical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fatima’s Jewish-Ukrainian parents, by way of Belgium, were named Paul and Rosalina Devolder.

It’s early but Paul doesn’t strike me as a common name for Jewish people.

JTA is skeptical:

“Not addressed in the article: Was he lying about his Jewish background? As with so much else in his personal narrative, there’s little to suggest truth beyond his own past comments.

The Times noted that Santos, 34, has identified to Jewish Insider as Jewish through his mother and Catholic through his father. Both parents were born in Brazil. Santos has said on Twitter that he is a practicing Catholic — and it is not unusual for some Americans to identify as ethnically Jewish and religiously Christian.

“Whether my mother’s Jewish background beliefs, which are mine or my father’s Roman Catholic beliefs, which are also mine, are represented or not,” he told Jewish Insider after his election, “I want to represent everyone else that practices every other religion to make sure everybody feels like they have a partner in me.”
https://www.jta.org/2022/12/19/politics/congressman-elect-george-santos-campaigned-as-a-jewish-republican-was-he-lying

Fatima isn't a Jewish or Ukrainian name, either.

In Brazil, it’s just dated. NBD.

The point you missed is that it is more commonly a Portuguese name, as opposed to Ukrainian, much less Jewish, in the 1920s or 1930s. DeVolder certainly would be common among the Flemish in Belgium but that doesn’t dovetail with the Ukrainian origin story. It’s a fabrication.

Tell me you know nothing about Brazil without telling me you know nothing about Brazil. The story is likely a fabrication, but his mother’s name is typical.

Typical for a Roman Catholic family, not emigre refugees from Eastern Europe by way of Belgium.

[Anonymous]

To recap:

The claim is that his grandparents were Jews who left Ukraine prior to WWII due to persecution and resettled somewhere in Belgium before emigrating to Brazil during the war. And yet the surname of his grandparents — DeVolder — is uniquely Belgian or Dutch, as opposed to Eastern European. The story starts to fall apart with his grandmother being named Rosalina, again not terribly common for a Jew born in Ukraine.

While not entirely improbable that his grandparents were Jews who fled to Brazil from Belgium prior to the Holocaust, and named their daughter Fatima when she was born in 19-fricking-62, the story doesn’t add up. Just as with every other part of his life story.

[Anonymous]

Some of the story is improbable, but my MIL had left Europe as a schoolkid before the Holocaust and she had a kid born in 64.
Also some jews were converts to Christianity but still targeted for their heritage

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fatima’s Jewish-Ukrainian parents, by way of Belgium, were named Paul and Rosalina Devolder.

It’s early but Paul doesn’t strike me as a common name for Jewish people.

JTA is skeptical:

“Not addressed in the article: Was he lying about his Jewish background? As with so much else in his personal narrative, there’s little to suggest truth beyond his own past comments.

The Times noted that Santos, 34, has identified to Jewish Insider as Jewish through his mother and Catholic through his father. Both parents were born in Brazil. Santos has said on Twitter that he is a practicing Catholic — and it is not unusual for some Americans to identify as ethnically Jewish and religiously Christian.

“Whether my mother’s Jewish background beliefs, which are mine or my father’s Roman Catholic beliefs, which are also mine, are represented or not,” he told Jewish Insider after his election, “I want to represent everyone else that practices every other religion to make sure everybody feels like they have a partner in me.”
https://www.jta.org/2022/12/19/politics/congressman-elect-george-santos-campaigned-as-a-jewish-republican-was-he-lying

Fatima isn't a Jewish or Ukrainian name, either.

In Brazil, it’s just dated. NBD.

The point you missed is that it is more commonly a Portuguese name, as opposed to Ukrainian, much less Jewish, in the 1920s or 1930s. DeVolder certainly would be common among the Flemish in Belgium but that doesn’t dovetail with the Ukrainian origin story. It’s a fabrication.

Tell me you know nothing about Brazil without telling me you know nothing about Brazil. The story is likely a fabrication, but his mother’s name is typical.

Typical for a Roman Catholic family, not emigre refugees from Eastern Europe by way of Belgium.

Wrong.

[Anonymous]

GMA reports that no one in GOP House leadership has commented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To recap:

The claim is that his grandparents were Jews who left Ukraine prior to WWII due to persecution and resettled somewhere in Belgium before emigrating to Brazil during the war. And yet the surname of his grandparents — DeVolder — is uniquely Belgian or Dutch, as opposed to Eastern European. The story starts to fall apart with his grandmother being named Rosalina, again not terribly common for a Jew born in Ukraine.

While not entirely improbable that his grandparents were Jews who fled to Brazil from Belgium prior to the Holocaust, and named their daughter Fatima when she was born in 19-fricking-62, the story doesn’t add up. Just as with every other part of his life story.

“His mother, Fatima Devolder, was descended from migrants who fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine and World War II strife in Belgium.”

Probably her father and grandparents. Her mother was likely Rosalina Caruso.

[Anonymous]

Interesting comments by Newsday ed board member. They missed this, they still didn’t endorse him for other reasons, he won’t engage with anyone there at all, and she doesn’t think it would have mattered if the NYT article came out in October because Long Island.

It’s happening simultaneously that local journalism is dying and far right wing candidates are free to ignore local journalism and only engage with people in their RWNJ media bubble. That’s understandable in super gerrymandered seats but this guy won where people voted for Biden by four points,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To recap:

The claim is that his grandparents were Jews who left Ukraine prior to WWII due to persecution and resettled somewhere in Belgium before emigrating to Brazil during the war. And yet the surname of his grandparents — DeVolder — is uniquely Belgian or Dutch, as opposed to Eastern European. The story starts to fall apart with his grandmother being named Rosalina, again not terribly common for a Jew born in Ukraine.

While not entirely improbable that his grandparents were Jews who fled to Brazil from Belgium prior to the Holocaust, and named their daughter Fatima when she was born in 19-fricking-62, the story doesn’t add up. Just as with every other part of his life story.

“His mother, Fatima Devolder, was descended from migrants who fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine and World War II strife in Belgium.”

Probably her father and grandparents. Her mother was likely Rosalina Caruso.

The claim on his website is that “George Santos’s grandparents fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII. They were able to settle in Brazil, where his mother was born. His father, who comes from Angolan roots, was also born in Brazil. Both his mother and father legally immigrated to the United States in search of the American dream.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:This is why journalism is important, kids. Also, where was the Democratic Party opposition research? Red lights were blinking everywhere - https://dccc.org/the-case-against-george-santos/

Really nice to learn about this a month AFTER the election.

What stupid, lazy F**ks are staffing the NYT these days.

Dan Diamond with the Washington Post has an interesting read on this, I think it’s that reporters are busy looking at the big picture and not on the little details? The tiny local paper had suspicions but not enough reach or funds to dig into everything.

“The Santos story unfolded on Long Island, in the shadow of the nation's largest city. His district is a 45-minute car drive from Brooklyn, which surely ranks high for U.S. journalists per capita.

And Santos' problems did get flagged by local media, as Semafor reports. It's just that no one followed up on the breadcrumbs.

Via Semafor:

The Leader, a local news outlet that covers Long Island’s North Shore, reported Santos’ filings in 2020 were $5,000 and then leaped to $11 million. The article quoted an anonymous Republican leader asking: “Are we being played as extras in 'The Talented Mr Santos'?"

I didn’t think that was interesting.

Eh, maybe I will listen to any reporter who can possibly explain how this giant blunder happened in hopes of it not happening again.

It wasn’t a “blunder.” Choices were made that resulted in oppo - at least some of which was confirmed before the election - not being published. That was a choice to not release anything till after the election.

No reputable media organization is going to run with opposition research without independently verifying every bit of it. And every bit of what reporters and researchers find is then reviewed by lawyers to make sure they can’t be sued for it.

There is often conflict between reporters who want to publish, and lawyers who say it’s not airtight enough yet.

It’s not rocket science. A few phone calls to academic institutions and places of employment to verify attendance and jobs are what it takes. And if the places reveal that there is no record of the individual …. the reporter reports that.

A few?

You realize multiple countries were involved, correct? And you assume the reporters/researchers called, had the correct HR person pick up the phone, and were able to search their database and come up with an answer in real time for each fact checked? (Those institutions involved their lawyers as well.)

Then there were the tax records, and legal records, and combing every interview Santos ever gave and every bio ever published for inconsistencies (plus reviewing the bios of everyone killed in the Pulse shooting). Oh, and showing up on landlords' doorsteps.

[Anonymous]

The Brazilian criminal case was the real find here. Imagine calling your editor to tell her that you’ve discovered an elected official about to take his seat in Congress is an international fugitive from justice: The rest, e.g., FEC reports, IRS exempt organization reports, real property and judgment lien searches, corporate records, voting rolls, employment history, etc. is pretty mundane legwork. The Pulse nightclub comment was another good find.

[Anonymous]

More than 24 hours have passed with no statement addressing the distance of the reporting. And nobody is coming to his defense. I give it another two days before the goose is officially cooked.

It’s as if this was a subplot of Seinfeld where George Costanza was running for Congress.