Democrats in New York are slamming GOP Representative and serial liar George Santos after he took to the House floor last week to deliver a speech marking Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The embattled Republican congressman paid tribute to victims and survivors of the Nazi-era genocide and condemned antisemitism.
“Antisemitism is a plague in this nation, and it is undoubtedly up to us to ensure this kind of tragedy is never to be seen again,” he said.
While the condemnation of antisemitism was is line with statements from members of both parties last week, Mr Santos’ choice of topic for his minute-long remarks drew outrage because of his record of fabrications regarding his background.
During his 2022 campaign for the Empire State’s third district House seat, Mr Santos infamously claimed to be of Jewish descent despite being a practicing Catholic.
He also falsely claimed to be a grandchild of Holocaust survivors, despite US immigration records showing his grandparents were born in Brazil long before Hitler came to power in Germany.
Mr Santos’ New York colleague, Democratic freshman Representative Daniel Goldman, said on Twitter that it was “appalling and offensive” for “ someone who has lied about being Jewish and having grandparents who fled the Holocaust to “ have the chutzpah to ‘honor the survivors,’” he said.
Another Democrat who unsuccessfully mounted a primary bid for the seat Mr Santos now holds, Reema Rasool, said the first-term Republican “needs to finds a tiny modicum of shame”.
“He is a disgrace who lied about being a descendant of Holocaust survivors to garnish votes in a heavily Jewish district,” she wrote, adding that Mr Santos should “sit the f**k down”.
Mr Santos’ serial fabrications have also drawn condemnation from most of his state’s congressional delegation as well as other GOP representatives, some of whom have called on him to resign.
