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Marjorie Taylor Greene Defends George Santos: ‘Glad George Is … – Newsweek

Kim Martel

Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia is defending New York Congressman-elect George Santos while he faces backlash for fabricating details of his personal and professional life.

Greene, of Georgia, praised her incoming GOP colleague for supposedly “being honest with his district now” in a series of tweets attacking Democrats on Tuesday. Santos has admitted to never working for finance companies Citigroup and Goldman Sachs or graduating from college with multiple degrees, as he had claimed while campaigning.

Santos defended the lies as merely “embellishing” his résumé in an interview with the New York Post. He has also said that he “never claimed to be Jewish,” insisting that he had only claimed to be “Jew-ish” in the past. Greene brushed off the inconsistencies on Twitter and attempted to deflect the focus on Santos by assailing Democrats.

“George Santos lied about his resume, and the left is demanding he resign,” Greene said in a tweet, before referencing an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that accuses Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota of “marrying her brother” and launching attacks on Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and murder victim George Floyd.

Marjorie Taylor Greene George Santos Republicans
Representative Majorie Taylor Greene is pictured on the left during a press conference in Washington, D.C., on November 17, 2022, while incoming Representative George Santos is pictured on the right during a Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 19, 2022. Greene on Tuesday praised Santos for “being honest with his district now,” following Santos admitting to multiple lies concerning his professional and personal life.
Alex Wong; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Greene went on to accuse Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine, who is transgender, of “lying” about her gender. She then took aim at Democratic Representatives Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, along with outgoing National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci.

Greene also repeated falsehoods about COVID-19 vaccines and argued that the House January 6 committee had “lied” by accusing former President Donald Trump and other Republicans of having “organized an insurrection.”

“The left doesn’t care about lying,” Greene tweeted. “The real reason they’re attacking George Santos is that he the first openly gay Republican elected and they hate him for it.

“I’m glad George is being honest with his district now and look forward to seeing how George legislates & votes,” she continued.

Although Santos is openly gay, some have also questioned his sexual orientation. A report published by The Daily Beast last week cites court documents that reveal Santos’ previously undisclosed September 2019 divorce from a woman. Santos told the Post that he had dated women in the past but is now “very much gay.”

Misrepresentations of his heritage prompted the Republican Jewish Coalition on Tuesday to disinvite Santos from attending any future group events.

“He deceived us and misrepresented his heritage,” Matt Brooks, coalition CEO, said in a statement. “In public comments and to us personally, he previously claimed to be Jewish … He will not be welcome at any future RJC event.”

Other claims that Santos has admitted to lying about include not owning 13 properties that he previously claimed were his. Instead, the New York Republican owed thousands of dollars in unpaid rent to a landlord.

While Democrats have called for him to step down or be ejected from the newly Republican-controlled House when it convenes next month, Santos has said that he is looking forward to taking his seat.

Democrat Robert Zimmerman, who lost to Santos in November, urged the Republican to resign while challenging him to a special election on Twitter.

“George, if that’s even your real name, if you’re so convinced that #NY3 voters still trust you—resign & run against me again in a special election,” Zimmerman tweeted. “Face the voters with your real past & answer questions about your criminal history. Let the voters decide.”

Newsweek has reached out to Greene’s office for comment.