Embattled Republican congressman George Santos has confessed to having been a “terrible liar” but insisted he was “wasn’t trying to trick people”.
Mr Santos has been at the centre of controversy since his election in November after the New York Times and other media outlets reported he had fabricating aspects of his background - including his education and work experience.
The accusations include lying about working for Goldman Sachs, his supposed Jewish faith, and, most recently, having produced the ill-fated Spider-Man musical on Broadway.
Mr Santos was initially lauded as the first openly gay Republican elected to the House of Representatives when he won in New York’s third district, but has faced claims to resign since admitting to “embellishing” his résumé.
Speaking to Piers Morgan on TalkTV on Monday night, Mr Santos described lying obtaining a college education as one of his “biggest regrets in life”.
Asked why he did, he said: “Expectation on society, the pressure, couldn’t afford it.”
"I ran in 2020 for the same exact seat for Congress... and I got away with it then."
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) February 20, 2023
George Santos tells Piers Morgan why he thought he could get away with lying about his background and education.@piersmorgan | @Santos4Congress | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/Bnv834NXt6
“Decided I wanted to run for office, although I had built a very credible business career, but I just didn’t have that part of my biography,” he added.
“I just went with it, if you are going to make up a lie, are you thinking at all?” he added.
Mr Santos said he had run for the same Congressional seat in 2020 “and I got away with it then”.
He repeated his claim that he had never said he was Jewish, repeating what he called a “party-favourite joke” by describing himself as “Jew-ish”.
The 34-year-old was also challenged over a claim that his mother was in the South Tower of the World Trade Centre in New York City on 9/11.
“That’s true,” he said.
“I won’t debate my mother’s life as she’s passed in [2016] and it’s quite insensitive to try to rehash my mother’s legacy.
“She wasn’t one to mislead me... I stay convinced that’s the truth.”
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump delivered a speech to supporters in Florida on Monday, setting out what he called his “common sense agenda” as he seeks re-election in 2024.
“So the 2024 election is our one chance to save our country and we need a leader who is ready to do that on day one and I wonder who that may be,” he told members of Club 45 at the Hilton Palm Beach Airport Hotel.
