Some Democrats are questioning whether or not Representative-elect George Santos, a New York Republican, is gay after a report emerged that he was married to a woman.
Democratic Representatives Ritchie Torres of New York, who is openly gay, and Ted Lieu of California shared an article by the Daily Beast on Thursday that said Santos didn't publicly mention a previous marriage to a woman.
"You've got to be kidding me. Looks like far-right Republican George Santos, who fabricated his whole political identity, may have even lied about his sexuality. I may be the only actual openly gay member of Congress in New York in the New Year," Torres tweeted on Thursday.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Looks like far-right Republican George Santos, who fabricated his whole political identity, may have even lied about his sexuality.
I may be the only actual openly gay member of Congress in New York in the New Year. 😉
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) December 22, 2022Santos appears to have been involved in an undisclosed divorce from a woman in September of 2019, according to court records obtained by the Daily Beast.
In October, Santos vowed to advocate for LGBTQ individuals and told USA Today at the time: "I am openly gay, have never had an issue with my sexual identity in the past decade, and I can tell you and assure you, I will always be an advocate for LGBTQ folks."
The contradictions about Santos' sexuality made some Democrats doubt that he was honest about his political claims and promises when he ran for Congress in November's midterm elections.
"Dear @Santos4Congress: Did your husband know about the info below? Did you work at Citigroup or Goldman Sachs as you claimed? Do you live where you are registered to vote?" Lieu wrote in a tweet on Thursday, sharing the Daily Beast report. "Did you graduate from Baruch College? What is the source of your income? Is your name George Santos?"
The New York Republican also seemed to have been dishonest about some parts of his life and allegedly misled voters, according to a Monday report by The New York Times.
Santos, who was previously arrested for check fraud in Brazil, didn't appear to be living at the address he was registered to vote and misled constituents about his net worth, according to the Times. He also appeared to have been dishonest about his academic record and employment history.
The Times also revealed that Santos—a right-wing candidate who has touted baseless claims of 2020 election fraud and attended former President Donald Trump's Stop the Steal rally in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021—didn't appear to have graduated from Baruch College or worked for Goldman Sachs or Citigroup.
"Listen, at this point I'm hoping he lied about being gay because we don't want him," Representative-elect Robert Garcia, who is also openly gay, tweeted on Wednesday and shared the Daily Beast article on Thursday in a tweeted comment.
Meanwhile, Jewish Insider published an article that cited records showing discrepancies in his claims about his Jewish heritage and that he descended from people who fled the Holocaust.
Santos didn't deny any of the information mentioned by The New York Times, but his attorney, Joseph Murray, said in a statement on Monday that the "Left" is threatened by the election of a gay conservative Latino, according to Insider.
"It is no surprise that Congressman-elect Santos has enemies at The New York Times who are attempting to smear his good name with these defamatory allegations," Murray added.
The GOP has called on Santos to be truthful about his record amid doubts about his future in Congress under potential Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who endorsed Santos.
Newsweek reached out to Murray for comment.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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