Rep.-elect George Santos, R-N.Y., is facing criminal investigations on the county and federal level after he admitted to lying about his work experience and educational background, among other things, on the campaign trail.
Republican Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said Wednesday she is opening the investigation into Santos' lies made during his successful campaign for New York's third Congressional district.
Also, the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York is investigating Santos' finances, including financial disclosure filings, CNN reported. Santos has faced questions over his wealth and loans totaling more than $700,000 he made to his campaign. The U.S. attorney's office declined to comment to CNN.
Santos, 34, said Monday he fabricated parts of his résumé, including that he graduated from Baruch College and worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. He also falsely claimed on his campaign website his mother was Jewish and his grandparents escaped the Nazis in World War II. Scrutiny over Santos' record came a week earlier, when The New York Times reported it found inconsistencies in what he touted during his campaign.
"The numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated with congressman-elect Santos are nothing short of stunning," Donnelly said in a statement to Newsmax. "The residents of Nassau County and other parts of the 3rd District must have an honest and accountable representative in Congress. No one is above the law; and if a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it."
Regarding which criminal statutes Santos might have violated, Donnelly spokesperson Brendan Brosh said, "We are looking into it."
The district attorney's office declined further comment.
Santos, the first openly gay non-incumbent Republican elected to the House, has said he will not resign, despite calls from Democrats to do so. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but told the New York Post on Monday: "I am not a criminal. This [controversy] will not deter me from having good legislative success. I will be effective. I will be good."