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Alison Stewart: This is All Of It. Now, we've heard on the show this week about politicians who have cheated or been dishonest -- Kennedy, Biden -- and we know there are others, but currently, George Santos is top of mind. According to a recent Siena Poll, more than two-thirds of registered New York Democrats and 49% of Republicans think newly elected rep George Santos should resign. This comes after weeks of reporting surrounding Santos' background, including rebuttals to his claims like his mom was in a World Trade Center Tower during 9/11. Reporting has revealed Santos never worked for Goldman Sachs.

He's used various names, and there are also accusations that he violated campaign finance laws. The lies have become so numerous that SNL decided to weigh in on the story.

Colin Jost: No, you're [chuckles] George Santos, and you've been all over the news lying about basically every part of your life.

Bowen Yang: Maybe.

[laughter]

Colin Jost: Well, you lied about going to NYU.

Bowen Yang: You did.

[laughter]

Colin Jost: You lied [laughs] about working at Goldman Sachs.

Bowen Yang: No, I filled the Goldman Sachs.

[laughter]

Colin Jost: You lied about your mom dying in 9/11.

Bowen Yang: I think I said 711.

[laughter]

Colin Jost: No. You even lied about being Jewish.

Bowen Yang: No, I said I was Jewish, which is honestly iconic.

Alison Stewart: That was SNL cast member, Bowen Yang. Joking aside, there are serious consequences to Santos' alleged lies, especially given the fact that he's already been appointed to two subcommittees by Republicans in the house. With me now to catch us up on the latest in this ongoing saga, and what it means for voters in New York's third congressional district is Brigid Bergin, senior reporter on People and Power desk for WNYC and Gothamist. She has been covering this story. Hi, Brigid.

Brigid: Hey, Alison. How you doing?

Alison Stewart: Good. Let's just get some context. Remind us again, George Santos ran for what district, and what was his campaign pitch about himself?

Brigid: Yes, I think context is what is so important to understanding George Santos. He was the only Republican who ran in the third congressional district that covers Northeast Queens and stretches up along the North Shore of Long Island. I should note it was a seat that was held by Democrats for two decades, Steve Israel, and then Tom Suozzi. Keep in mind, this was a really weird election cycle in New York. Came after this long battle over redistricting with not one but two primary elections. The congressional primary was actually in August, and there were five Democrats that were trying to win this nomination, and only one Republican, Santos, ran unopposed.

He ran against a Democrat named Robert Zimmerman. They were both openly gay. He was running in this campaign where crime and public safety were dominant themes among Republicans. The candidate at the top of their ticket, Lee Zeldin, who was running for governor, really saw Long Island as a place where he could make big gains. In this weird race where the Democrat at the top of the ticket, Kathy Hochul was really struggling to pick up momentum, suddenly, Santos, in that third congressional seat, saw a seat that the Republicans could pick up, and he started picking up some big-name support.

He got representative, Elise Stefanik, a member of Republican leadership to get behind him. It's clear that the context was very important, and he didn't quite get the vetting or scrutiny one might hope for a candidate for congressional office.

Alison Stewart: The news broke in December that Santos lied about his resume. Some of the lies are pretty astonishing, but he also faces accusations of committing campaign finance fraud. What is the story there?

Brigid: Yes, that's right. Earlier this month, a group, the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, filed a complaint against Santos over a series of potential campaign finance violations. One of the big ones was related to this $700,000 loan. Santos reportedly gave his own campaign, and the complaint really questioned the source of this sudden wealth since Santos' previous financial disclosure document only listed a much smaller salary at a small firm where he worked. When a complaint like that's filed, Alison, the FEC does reach out to the campaign itself to notify them and give them a chance to explain or amend to their FEC disclosure reports.

Actually, just yesterday, The Daily Beast reported that Santos did file some amended disclosure forms. In particular, that loan he allegedly gave himself, he is now saying he did not give himself. However, the forms don't explain where the money came from, definitely more to come on that.

Alison Stewart: You reported for a story on Gothamist last week about how George Santos has quietly opened an office in the Douglaston neighborhood of Queens. What did you find when you visited?

Brigid: It was awkward. You wouldn't know it was George Santos' office if you walked down the street because the awning still says Tom Suozzi, and the window still says Tom Suozzi. That was the previous office holder. I just walked in with my microphone because I was looking to see if anyone was there, and there was a lone staffer, sitting in the back table behind a partition, scrolling through his phone, trying to keep a low profile, and when I started to ask him if he was with Congressman Santos, he said, "Yes," and then said, "Are you a reporter?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Let's step outside."

We went on the sidewalk and he didn't want to identify himself or give any official statements, directed me to a communication staffer who's actually in the DC office. I think what the office is supposedly doing is constituent work, but that is a huge challenge because a lot of the elected officials, both Democrat and Republicans in that district have said they don't want to work with his office.

Alison Stewart: I'm speaking with Brigid Bergin, senior reporter on the People on Power Desk for WNYC and Gothamist. Were talking about the latest on George Santos. On Monday, a new Sienna Poll revealed that a majority of New York Democrats think Santos should resign. Almost half of registered Republicans, New York Republicans agree. Most politicians will say stretch the truth at some point, shade things to their advantage. What was the moment that you think the tide turned for Santos among New York Republicans?

Brigid: That's such a good question, Alison. I think it's really been a chipping away from the moment that initial report ran in the Times in December. At least a week after that, one member of the New York delegation was calling for a house ethics investigation, but then I think once we got past the house speaker vote, where Kevin McCarthy really needed Santos for his support, this constant drip, drip, drip of lies, we actually have a tracker up on Gothamist that we keep updating as new stories come out, has really eroded his support. We've seen statements from a Republicans in Long Island and from the state party calling on him to resign, saying he's not welcome in their organization.

The truth is there's really no amount of public pressure alone that will force him out of office unless he decides to resign. It's up to Congress itself to act, and they would have to choose to expel him.

Alison Stewart: What have you heard from the constituents that George Santos actually represents?

Brigid: Frustration. A lot of frustration. This is an individual who is supposed to be their advocate, who is supposed to bring resources to the district, who is supposed to be someone that they can turn to if they have problems with federal issues. This is not a great way to start an office, and to prove that you can be effective for your constituents. I was out there speaking to folks in Queens and I was hearing everything from just this sort of dismissiveness to a real sense of how this demonstrates how, we don't hold our elected officials to the same standards that we say hold other people in positions like teachers or in public positions that just don't get the same kind of scrutiny.

Alison Stewart: House majority leader Kevin McCarthy has been relatively quiet, although he did say yesterday to reporters that Santos would be removed from Congress if the Ethics Committee found he broke the law. It should be pointed out Santos has already been appointed to some subcommittees, correct?

Brigid: That's right. He's on two subcommittees, the Small Business Subcommittee and the Science and Technology Subcommittees. Actually, just moments before I came on for the segment, another in the drip drip drip, was that two members of the New York delegation, have written a letter to Speaker McCarthy, expressing concerns about the information that Congressman Santos can access as a member of those committees and in his office, requested that he doesn't have access to classified information. Yet another example of how his effectiveness will be hobbled because of concerns over this seemingly endless list of fabrications that have come out since those reports.

Alison Stewart: What are the investigations that are being conducted into George Santos as of this point?

Brigid: As I mentioned, there's obviously the FEC investigation, there's the House Ethics investigation, there was a complaint filed by Congress members, Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman. At the Nassau County, District Attorney has said that they're investigating. The New York State Attorney General is investigating. There are federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York who were investigating, and there is apparently, Brazilian law enforcement authorities who say that they intend to look into a 2008 court case in which Congressman Santos reportedly used a false name on a check and so that too could be one of the investigations. A long list there of things that we can be watching going forward.

Alison Stewart: I was going to ask you, is his name George Santos?

Brigid: [chuckles] A colleague of mine found a listing for him in IMDb, and the list of aliases is really long, Alison, so fun fact there.

Alison Stewart: Through all of this, how has George Santos responded to calls for him to resign and from serious questioning from reporters?

Brigid: Defiantly, I mean, he has said that he will not resign, that he plans to stay in office. He even said yesterday when the house was going back into session after they had had a break last week, that he had a surprise for reporters and managed to get some press because he brought a bunch of Dunkin' Donuts and set them up outside of his office since so many reporters have been staking out there. It's a little depressing to be perfectly honest because it mocks the institution in some ways, but I don't think the surprises coming out of the Santos' story are quite done with yet.

Alison Stewart: Brigid Bergin is a senior reporter on the People and Power desk for WNYC and Gothamist. Bridget, thank you for the time.

Brigid: Thank you, Alison.

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Alison Stewart: Tomorrow on All Of It, Karen Baum Gordon's father escaped the Nazis but not the psychological legacy. She joins us to discuss her book, The Last Letter, which chronicles his experiences and examines the enduring trauma of the Holocaust. I'm Alison Stewart, I appreciate you listening, and I appreciate you. I will meet you back here tomorrow.

 

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