The Biggest News Stories Of 2023

After Congressman George Santos was elected in 2022 to represent New York's Third Congressional District, he was immediately accused of lying about basically everything. For instance, he claimed his mother survived 9/11. However, immigration records given to The Forward documented she had left the U.S. in 1999 and applied for re-entry in 2003 — without entering the country in the intervening period. The Congressman has nevertheless defended the claim.

Santos claimed his grandparents fled the Holocaust. His mother, Fatima DeVolder, however, wrote on her green card application that her parents were born in Brazil. Santos then said his grandparents changed their names to survive. He then backpedaled, saying he never claimed to be Jewish, but "Jew-ish." His current position is that he can prove it, but the war in Ukraine is preventing him from getting the documentation. The question of his paternal grandparents is unclear.

Santos admitted to many more, including claiming to work for Goldman Sachs, attending college, and earning $750,000 before being elected. In an interview with Newsmax's Greg Kelly, Santos dodged questions about his alleged lies. Kelly voiced concerns about Santos' capacity to serve in Congress, noting that if he was willing to lie about small stuff, he would be willing to lie about bigger matters. Santos now faces a raft of federal charges relating to fraud, false statements, and identity theft. He refused to resign, despite GOP calls to expel him. However, after a House Ethics Committee report found multiple instances of misconduct, Santos was expelled on December 1, 2023, making him only the sixth member of the House in U.S. history to be removed from office.

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