Untangling The Lies Of Rep. George Santos

Diane Rehm: On My Mind

WAMU 88.5

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4.7 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 20 January 2023

⏱️ 48 minutes

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Summary

George Santos remains in the House of Representatives – for now.

Questions about the biography of the congressman from Long Island, New York became a national story when the New York Times published a piece in December, exposing lies about where Santos said he worked, went to school, and whether his family was Jewish, as he had claimed. But it was actually a small weekly paper in his district that first dug into his background months before.

Grant Lally, the publisher of the North Shore Leader, told Diane about the series of stories his paper ran in September 2022 that called the then-candidate a fraud, a fabulist and “the talented Mr. Santos.”

Diane also talked to Isaac Stanely-Becker, national political reporter at the Washington Post. He has been digging into George Santos’s finances and has uncovered falsehoods, Ponzi schemes, and even ties to a Russian oligarch.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The
0:05.1	Hiots Diane on my mind behind the lies at George Santos
0:12.0	The imbaddled congressman from New York remains in the House of Representatives
0:17.8	But it's not clear for how long
0:21.2	Miss giving about the representatives resume became a national story when the New York Times
0:28.6	Public should have he seen December but it was actually a small weekly paper in his district
0:37.2	That first dug into his background and what they found was fishy to say the least
0:45.4	He was a fraud we called him a fabulous. We called him the talented mr. Santos
0:51.3	Brett Lolli is the publisher at the North Shore leader and he joins me today
0:57.8	Also Isaac Stanley Becker national political reporter at the Washington Post
1:04.9	He's been digging into George Santos's finances and found falsehoods Ponzi schemes and ties to a Russian oligarch
1:15.2	We spoke Thursday morning
1:18.4	It's good to have you both with us
1:21.2	Grand Lolli if I could start with you when and why did you begin looking at George Santos and his background?
1:33.2	Well, I first met George Santos three years ago when he
1:38.6	Approached us at the newspaper at the North Shore leader and approached me to meet with him
1:44.0	I had run for Congress in this very same district
1:48.0	eight years ago and
1:51.3	Obviously my family owns the newspaper so he was looking for support and a mutual friend had arranged a lunch where
1:57.6	The three of us he I and the mutual friend sat down and had about an hour and a half lunch
2:03.4	What do you think of it then?
2:05.6	So he was a real weirdo
	...

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