George Santos: Can the Republican spin his way out of his web of lies?

Published

2 years ago

May 10, 2023

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A Republican US congressman who admitted lying on his CV is to face criminal charges, officials have confirmed.

Details of the federal indictment against George Santos, who represents New York’s Long Island, have yet to be confirmed, but he could appear in court as early as today.

Federal prosecutors have been examining false statement allegations in Santos’ campaign filings.

The US politician is at the centre of a web of extraordinary revelations and accusations covering everything from his heritage to jobs he simply never held.

Described by critics as a “total fraud”, he is accused of fabricating parts of his resume while running for Congress. While he denies some of the allegations made against him, he has admitted that some of his claims were lies.

So far he has refused to step down and has previously tweeted that he is cooperating fully with a House Ethics Committee inquiry.

Here’s a round-up of Mr Santos’s claims, how we got here and what could happen next to the controversial congressman.

Who is George Santos?

It’s a seemingly simple question, but one that is becoming increasingly difficult to get a straight answer to. Here is what we know for sure.

The Brazilian-American, 34, was elected to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District in November 2022, becoming the first openly gay Republican to win a House seat as a non-incumbent.

While his victory caused a buzz around Capitol Hill, it was soon dimmed by allegations starting in December over his resume.

A New York Times investigation found a number of false claims Mr Santos made on his CV including lies over his education and previous jobs.

From there, it’s all unravelled.

His responses have varied too. He has admitted that some were lies, rejected others and has backtracked on a few too.

He’s ‘Jew-ish’ not Jewish

Mr Santos has made conflicting remarks over being Jewish, taking part in a drag performance in Brazil and the circumstances around his mother’s death.

So let’s start with his heritage.

After his victory, he told the Republican Jewish Coalition summit, the election meant that “now there will be three” Jewish Republican members of Congress.

But then afterwards, he backtracked and told the New York Post he “never claimed to be Jewish”, and said he was Catholic adding: “Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background, I said I was ‘Jew-ish’.”

He said 9/11 ‘claimed his mother’s life’ – records show she wasn’t in the country

It’s also quite confusing when you take a look at the conflicting reports over the death of Mr Santos’s mother, Fatima Caruso Devolder.

While running for Congress in 2021, Mr Santos tweeted that the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York “claimed his mother’s life”.

Yet on his campaign website, Mr Santos said his mother was in her office in the South Tower on the day of the terrorist attack but “survived” and died “a few years” later from cancer.

However, records obtained by Sky’s affiliate NBC News and reports by the Washington Post citing immigration records, suggested Ms Devolder had not even been living in the US at the time of the attack and was in fact living in Rio de Janeiro.

He has not publicly commented on that since.

‘Sue me for having a life’

Now on to one of the latest claims about the congressman’s performance at a drag show.

A Brazilian performer, who uses the drag name Eula Rochard, told Reuters she befriended the now-congressman in 2005 in Brazil.

She said in 2008, he competed in a drag beauty pageant in Rio using the drag name Kitara Ravache.

While the congressman first called the reports “categorically false” on Twitter, when confronted on camera, he told US channel ABC7 – “I was young and I had fun at a festival – sue me for having a life.”

The Trump effect

Political strategist Rina Shah said only a “handful” of Republicans are calling for Mr Santos’s resignation and his behaviour echoes the “Trump effect”.

The former senior staffer to two Republican Congress members described him as a “conman”.

She told Sky News: “The situation certainly highlights the Donald Trump effect. The impact of the 45th President, a real style of running to just regularly make claims to be boastful in a way of things that were simply not true and proven to be untrue.”

She added that Mr Santos has “taken on” that style “in a defiant manner that says ‘come and get me because even if you try to get me, I’ll just continue to lie about it’.”

Despite the lies, Ms Shah said no top Republican will take action against him because they “cannot afford to lose” his House seat.

The Republicans won a razor-thin majority in the House following the midterms and she warned that Mr Santos’s removal could endanger the seat.

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would withhold judgment on Santos, saying: “In America, you’re innocent until proven guilty.”

He didn’t work on Wall Street

While the list of accusations against Mr Santos has grown, he has admitted to lying about some things.

Mr Santos claimed on his campaign website he had a finance career working at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs – but the NYT investigation found neither institution had any record of his employment.

He admitted to lying about his education and the roles at the two firms and told the New York Post: “My sins here are embellishing my resume. I’m sorry.”

Stealing from a disabled veteran

But there are some cases where Mr Santos has flat-out denied certain claims.

He denied an accusation by veteran Richard Osthoff, who accused him of scamming him of $3,000 from a GoFundMe campaign page raised for his dying service dog in 2016.

Mr Osthoff told the news site Patch that he was told Anthony Devolder, one of the names Mr Santos used before entering politics, had a pet charity called Friends of Pets United.

He claimed Mr Devolder closed the page and disappeared after the funds were raised. Mr Santos has angrily denied the reports and called them “shocking and insane”.

What makes his ‘lies’ different?

While some may say lying in politics is not new, one psychologist specialising in lying and deception research explains why Mr Santos’s claims and accusations may seem a little different.

Dr Chris Hart, a psychology professor at Texas Woman’s University, told Sky News: “If we look at the lies most politicians tell they’re often exaggerations and half-truths. They rarely lie in such a way that they are making a claim which has absolutely no basis in reality and that’s where he is different.

“The frequency with which he appears to tell them is a bit surprising compared to other politicians.”

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‘I will NOT resign’

Revelations about Mr Santos’s lies and the allegations against him have caused anger among Democrats who have described him as a “total fraud” and are calling for him to resign.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he is a “complete and total fraud” and he “deceived and connived his way into Congress”.

Despite calls from some Republicans and Democrats, Mr Santos has repeatedly refused to resign.

For now, it seems he has no intention to go anywhere.

US

Trump says Gaza ceasefire will begin ‘immediately’ when Hamas confirms deal

Published

5 hours ago

October 5, 2025

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Trump says Gaza ceasefire will begin 'immediately' when Hamas confirms deal

Donald Trump has said a ceasefire in Gaza will begin “immediately” after Hamas agrees to a new US plan to end the war.

The US president said Israel had “agreed to the initial withdrawal line” and “when Hamas confirms”, the ceasefire will start, Israeli hostages will be released and a prisoner exchange will begin.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said it would “create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal, which will bring us close to the end of this 3,000-year catastrophe”.

It came as Hamas accused the Israeli government of lying about reducing its military operations, accusing it of continuing to “commit its horrific crimes and massacres” against Palestinians in Gaza, claiming 70 people had been killed by strikes since Saturday morning.

The group said it “exposes the false claims of the war criminal Netanyahu’s government regarding scaling back military operations against defenceless civilians”.

It comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he hopes to announce the release of all hostages from Gaza “in the coming days”.

Mr Netanyahu made the remarks as indirect talks with Hamas continue in Egypt on a new US plan to end the war.

Speaking after Hamas said it had accepted some elements of the plan, Mr Netanyahu said he had sent the delegation to Egypt “to finalise technical details”, adding that “our goal is to contain these negotiations to a timeframe of a few days”.

Donald Trump has welcomed Hamas’s statement, but on Saturday warned the group “must move quickly, or else all bets will be off”.

Trump orders Israel to stop bombing Gaza

Earlier in the day, Israel’s army said the country’s leaders had instructed it to prepare for the first phase of the US plan to end the war in Gaza.

Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike, one official said, adding that no forces have been removed from the territory.

It came hours after Mr Trump ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza after Hamas said it accepted some elements of his plan.

What’s in the peace plan?

Mr Trump’s proposed plan to end the war has widespread international support and on Friday, Mr Netanyahu’s office said Israel was committed to bringing the conflict to an end.

Under the plan, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages, of which around 20 are believed to still be alive, within three days. It would also give up power in Gaza and disarm.

In return, Israel would end its offensive and withdraw from much of Gaza, as well as release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow an influx of humanitarian aid and eventual reconstruction.

Hamas has said it is willing to release the hostages and hand over power to other Palestinians, but argued other aspects of the plan require further consultations among Palestinians. Its statement did not address the issue of Hamas demilitarising, which is a key part of the deal.

Warning ‘extremists on both sides’ could sabotage peace plan

A group representing some families of hostages said the prospect of seeing their loved ones return “has never been closer” and they appealed to Mr Trump to keep pushing “with full force”.

They warned “extremists on both sides” would try to sabotage the plan.

The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.

Since then, at least 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, according to the enclave’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up around half of the dead.

US

Trump tells Israel ‘stop bombing Gaza’ – as Hamas agrees to release Israeli hostages, and to parts of peace deal

Published

23 hours ago

October 4, 2025

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Hamas agrees to release all remaining Israeli hostages - but seeks further talks on rest of Trump's peace deal

Donald Trump has said Hamas is ready for a “lasting peace” after the Palestinian militants agreed to release all remaining hostages, as he called on Israel to stop bombing Gaza.

The US leader was responding to a statement by Hamas on Friday in which the group committed to returning all remaining hostages in Gaza, dead and alive.

Hamas also said it wants to engage in negotiations to discuss further details of the president’s peace plan, including handing over “administration of the enclave to a Palestinian body of independent technocrats”.

However, other aspects of the 20-point document, it warned, would require further consultation among Palestinians.

The Hamas statement came after Mr Trump warned he would unleash “all hell” if they did not respond to his peace plan, announced earlier this week, by Sunday.

Following the group’s response, the president said there was now a real chance of peace.

“I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE,” Mr Trump posted on Truth Social. “Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!

“Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”

In a video later posted on his social media platform, Mr Trump called it a “very special day” and said the end of the war was “very close”.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for the implementation of the “first stage” of Mr Trump’s plan, apparently in reference to the release of hostages.

Moshe Emilio Lavi, brother-in-law of Israeli hostage Omri Miran, told Sky News he “can’t wait” to see his family reunited.

“We’ve received necessary guarantees from President Trump and the wider international community and now we have to keep pressuring Hamas to ensure that they abide by the Trump framework, that they disarm and release all the hostages within the 72 hours the framework outlines.

“There should be no buts and no delays, there should be only a yes to President Trump’s vision to end the conflict and bring home all the remaining hostages.”

Starmer calls for ‘agreement without delay’

Sir Keir Starmer said Hamas’s partial acceptance of the peace plan was a “significant step forwards” and called for an “agreement without delay”.

The prime minister said Mr Trump’s efforts “have brought us closer to peace than ever before” and added: “There is now an opportunity to end the fighting, for the hostages to return home, and for humanitarian aid to reach those who so desperately need it.

“We call on all sides to implement the agreement without delay.”

He went on to say the UK was ready to support further negotiations and work “towards sustainable peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike”.

French President Emmanuel Macron said “the release of all hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza are within reach”, while a spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged “all parties to seize the opportunity”.

Hamas agrees to release hostages

The breakthrough came just hours after Mr Trump had set the Sunday deadline to respond to his proposals, backed by the Arab nations.

The US president and the Israeli prime minister unveiled the peace plan at the White House on Monday.

Israel agreed to the terms, which include an immediate ceasefire; the release of all hostages; Hamas disarming; a guarantee no one will be forced to leave Gaza and a governing “peace panel” including Sir Tony Blair.

And on Friday, a statement from Hamas confirmed “its approval to release all prisoners of the occupation – whether alive or the remains of the deceased – according to the exchange framework included in President Trump’s proposal”.

Israel estimates 48 hostages remain in Gaza, 20 of whom are alive.

Hamas official says group will not disarm ‘before Israeli occupation ends’

The group also said it was ready to engage in negotiations through mediators and it appreciated “Arab, Islamic and international efforts, as well as the efforts of US President Donald Trump”.

But, Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera news the group would not disarm “before the Israeli occupation ends”.

Hamas acceptance – but with major caveats

By Celine Alkhaldi, Middle East producer

Hamas has issued a carefully worded response to Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal.

The group welcomed international efforts to end the fighting, agreed in principle to the release of all Israeli hostages, and said it is prepared to begin negotiations on the details of an agreement.

It also renewed its commitment to handing over administration of Gaza to a committee of Palestinian technocrats formed by national consensus and backed by Arab and Islamic states.

That position has been consistent for months and was not part of Mr Trump’s plan.

On wider questions, Hamas said decisions must be taken within a comprehensive Palestinian framework, leaving the most sensitive issues for future discussion.

The statement appears to accept parts of Mr Trump’s proposal, but in some areas it does not match its terms.

Hamas made no mention of disarmament, avoided any pledge to withdraw permanently from governing, and linked any hostage deal to a complete Israeli withdrawal.

Taken together, the response shows a willingness to engage on humanitarian and political steps already familiar from past proposals, while deferring the core disputes to a broader Palestinian process.

Hamas does not know where all hostages are

Sky News Middle East correspondent Adam Parsons said the “most important part” of the Hamas response was that it showed a willingness to do a deal.

“The peace plan could have died – Hamas could have rejected it – but it is still alive.”

He said there were still “huge obstacles” which would prevent outright acceptance though.

In spite of a pledge to release hostages, he said Hamas did not entirely know where all of them were – some were even being held by other groups.

Hamas’s support for a new government for Palestine was positive, he said, but the specification in the Hamas response that it should be purely Palestinian and not, as Mr Trump had proposed, a “panel” that included external representatives, would be problematic.

US

Why Trump accepted the Hamas peace plan response

Published

1 day ago

October 4, 2025

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Why Trump accepted the Hamas peace plan response

We are in the endgame. Nearly exactly two years since the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023, it looks like we are on the brink of a breakthrough.

The diplomacy of the past 12 hours has been head-spinning and uniquely Trumpian. Assuming everything holds, this is Donald Trump‘s success. It is the consequence of his unorthodox style, his ability to call the shots and crucially his willingness to do so now.

The tragedy is that it could have happened many months ago. But that doesn’t make it any less significant a moment now.

Word came from Hamas late afternoon on Friday Washington time that the group had responded to Mr Trump’s 20-point plan for peace in Gaza, which he unveiled at the White House on Monday.

Within minutes, the US president had posted the Hamas response on his own social media. It was clear from the wording of the Hamas statement that it was by no means an unequivocal acceptance of the 20-point plan.

But then, via his press secretary, again on social media, a clear indication that the US president was reading the Hamas statement as an acceptance of his deal even though, in black and white, it falls short of that.

“President Trump responds to Hamas’ acceptance of his Peace Plan,” Karoline Leavitt wrote.

Hamas had basically said “yes, but” to Mr Trump’s 20-point plan, and yet intriguingly Mr Trump was choosing to take it as an acceptance of his plan.

Then, moments later, the president spelt it out, again on social media, and with game-changing demands – not for Hamas, but for Israel.

A remarkable statement

“Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”

This was a remarkable statement and represents a huge moment. Neither Mr Trump, nor Joe Biden before him, has ever asked this of Israel before. The American president was telling Israel to stop; to stand its military down and to bring this war to an end. Extraordinary.

For the first time in this two-year war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in a corner. President Trump has put him there.

Mr Trump and his team know that the Hamas response does not yet commit to disarmament and it does not yet agree to fully disband – both conditions of the 20-point plan. But Hamas does commit to releasing all the hostages now. And for Mr Trump, who wants this over, that’s enough.

The word from Israel overnight is that Mr Netanyahu did not expect the US president to take this position because he sees the Hamas response as a rejection of the 20-point plan.

On Monday, Mr Netanyahu said Mr Trump was the best friend Israel had ever had. But Mr Trump is not an ideologue. He is pragmatic, he is a deal-maker, he wants to further his Abraham Accords, he wants to be a winner, and he wants the Nobel Peace Prize.

He can also see where the chips are falling. His 20-point plan has unanimous support across Europe and among Muslim majority countries, which all seem to accept that Hamas as an organisation is over.

Israeli attack on Hamas in Qatar was pivot point

Public opinion is also a factor. The number of Americans with an unfavourable view of Israel and its Gaza policy has been steadily rising.

President Trump’s own view of Mr Netanyahu’s Israel has also evolved. The two men have never actually been close. And the Israeli attack on Hamas negotiators in Qatar last month really angered Mr Trump and his advisors. They saw it as a clear undermining of the Gaza negotiations. It was a pivot point for Mr Trump.

The diplomacy behind the scenes, through the Qatari government mediators and others, has been intense, particularly this past week. The challenge has been to persuade the military wing of Hamas, in Gaza, to get to the position outlined in their statement.

Mr Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, told me on Monday: “I am hopeful, I really am. All the stakeholders in this want to see it happen and the president believes it is going to happen and he is dug in.”

I was sceptical. Maybe I was wrong to be. Still, there are huge immediate challenges in the hours and days ahead.

But the overnight news that the Israeli Defence Forces have shifted to defensive operations is a huge development.

There is a genuine momentum for peace right now. This could be the moment.