Days after Representative Elect George Santos admitted to misrepresenting his background, a Long Island prosecutor said she would investigate whether he had committed any crimes, while those supporting his campaign expressed mixed feelings about the revelations now swirling around him .
Anne Donnelly, the Nassau County District Attorney, said in a statement that the “numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Congresswoman-elect Santos are nothing short of astounding” and called on him to take more responsibility.
“No one is above the law, and if a crime has been committed in this county, we will prosecute it,” Ms. Donnelly, a Republican, said in a statement first reported by Newsday.
Ms. Donnelly’s investigation adds to mounting pressure facing Mr. Santos, a Republican who will represent northern Nassau County and northeastern Queens when the next Congress begins, in the wake of an investigation in the DailyExpertNews that revealed discrepancies in his campaign biography and raised questions about his business dealings.
On Monday, Mr Santos confirmed some of the inaccuracies identified by The Times. He admitted to lying about graduating from Baruch College and making misleading claims that he worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. He also acknowledged that he did not, as he had claimed, earn a substantial income as a landlord.
In interviews with more than two dozen Long Islanders, many residents, including some who supported Mr. Santos, said they were disappointed by his actions and angry at his response.
Felestasia Mawere, 50, who voted for Mr. Santos and donated to his congressional campaign, said she felt he shouldn’t be in Congress after admitting to misleading voters.
“He cheated,” said Ms. Mawere, an accountant who lives in Manhasset, NY. Of the falsehoods in his biography, she added, “He deliberately posted that information knowing it would convince voters like me to vote for him.”
Still, Santos has not lost the broad support of his party, including those who will soon be his constituents.
Jackie Silver, 56, from Great Neck, said she voted for Mr. Santos and would do so again. She said those calling on Mr. Santos to resign or face further investigation targeted him because he was a Republican.
“If they don’t like someone, they really go after them,” said Ms. Silver, a courier for Uber Eats and DoorDash. “Everyone makes up their CV. I’m not saying it’s correct.”
Ms. Donnelly is one of several Long Island Republicans who have called on Mr. Santos to face further scrutiny for his statements on the campaign trail and on financial disclosure forms.
On Tuesday, Representative Nick LaLota, a Republican who won in a neighboring Long Island district, called for an investigation by the House Ethics Committee. Nassau County Republican Chairman Joseph G. Cairo Jr. said he expected “more than just a blanket apology” from Mr. Santos.
Mr Santos and his representatives did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The Times, including detailed questions about the coverage.
But after a week of near silence, he began to raise concerns raised by The Times report.
Mr Santos’ biography has been removed from his campaign website for most of Tuesday. An updated version was posted on Wednesday that excluded several previous details.
Mr. Santos’ biography no longer mentions earning a degree from Baruch College. On Monday, he admitted that he had not graduated from that institution after The Times failed to report his doing. (Another profile of him, on the House Republicans’ campaign committee website, said he also attended New York University, and that information has also been removed.)
Mr. Santos also removed a mention of his Long Island life amid questions about where he lived.
Brittany Kriegstein reporting contributed.
