Rep. George Santos' election victory last year flipped a seat in New York formerly held by a Democrat, helping Republicans secure a narrow majority in the House. But it soon became clear that many of his campaign claims were lies.He called himself "a proud American Jew," the grandson of Ukrainian Holocaust survivors."I'm very proud of my grandparents' story: My grandfather fleeing Ukraine, fleeing Stalin's persecution, going to Belgium, finding refuge there, marrying my grandmother, then fleeing Hitler, going to Brazil. That's a story of perseverance," he said.But genealogical research found no Jewish ancestry in Santos' family.He said he was a seasoned Wall Street investor, working for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. But The New York Times reports neither firm has records of Santos ever working for them.He claimed he attended a prestigious prep school in the Bronx then graduated from Baruch College. There are no records of Santos attending either school.Friends of Pets United is an animal rescue group Santos said he founded as a tax-exempt organization. The IRS has no records of a registered charity by that name. His fundraiser for a military veteran's dog is under investigation.Santos also claimed he earned $750,000 and between $1 million to $5 million in dividends from his own company, The Devolder Organization, in 2021. Santos said he arranged transactions between wealthy people. It's unclear what Devolder actually does.As the discrepancies piled up, Santos explained some of his lies in a February interview with Piers Morgan."I've been a terrible liar on those subjects," Santos said. "What I tried to convey to the American people is I made mistakes of allowing the pressures of what I thought and needed to be done in order to ... This wasn't about tricking anybody, this wasn't about..""Yes it was," Morgan responded. "The whole thing was about tricking people.""Let me finish," Santos said. "It wasn't about tricking the people. This was about getting accepted by the party."The calls for Santos to resign began less than a week after he took office.He has consistently rejected all of them.SEE MORE: Rep. George Santos pleads not guilty to charges of fraud, theft
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Photos: Rep. George Santos, R-NY
FILE - Rep.-elect George Santos, R-New York, speaks at an annual leadership meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition, Nov. 19, 2022, in Las Vegas. Weeks after winning a district that helped Republicans secure their razor-thin House majority, the congressman-elect Santos is under investigation in New York after acknowledging he lied about his heritage, education and professional pedigree as he campaigned for office. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
FILE - Republican candidate for New York's 3rd Congressional District George Santos campaigns outside a Stop and Shop store, Nov. 5, 2022, in Glen Cove, N.Y. Weeks after winning a district that helped Republicans secure their razor-thin House majority, the congressman-elect Santos is under investigation in New York after acknowledging he lied about his heritage, education and professional pedigree as he campaigned for office. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
Rep.-elect George Santos, R-N.Y., casts a vote during the seventh round of voting in the House chamber as the House meets for the third day to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., are sworn in by Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy of Calif., as members of the 118th Congress in Washington, early Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., departs Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., laughs b before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., walks past the criminal courthouse in New York on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
FILE - Then Rep-elect George Santos, R-N.Y., stands in the House chamber as the House meets for the third day to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, Jan. 5, 2023. Santos has been arrested on federal criminal charges. The Republican congressman has faced outrage over revelations he fabricated parts of his life story, including lying about being a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
FILE - Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., leaves a House GOP conference meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 25, 2023. Santos has been arrested on federal criminal charges. The Republican congressman has faced outrage over revelations he fabricated parts of his life story, including lying about being a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker. Santos was arrested Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
FILE - Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., waits for the start of a session in the House chamber as the House meets for the fourth day to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, Jan. 6, 2023. Santos has been arrested on federal criminal charges. The Republican congressman has faced outrage over revelations he fabricated parts of his life story, including lying about being a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
