- Rep. George Santos says he's gathering proof to confirm his Jewish heritage.
- Santos told CNN's Manu Raju that this is "something I'm going to prove before I die."
Rep. George Santos is doubling down once again on his claims that he has Jewish ancestry. This time, the embattled New York Republican says he's sure his grandparents fled the Holocaust — he just needs to get the "last pieces" of proof together.
Santos told CNN's Manu Raju, in an interview that aired on Sunday, that he has hired genealogists to verify his Jewish heritage.
"Is there documentation of this?" Raju asked Santos.
"Oh that's what I spent the last 10 months doing, putting together, but unfortunately, Ukraine is in the middle of a freaking war, and my grandfather comes from Ukraine," Santos said, referencing the ongoing war in Ukraine.
"So this is the biggest lift that I have to do my entire life. But that's something I'm going to prove before I die," Santos continued.
“That’s something I’m going to prove before I die.” Rep. George Santos addresses the claims he’s made about his Jewish heritage. Listen to what he had to say in his exclusive one-on-one with @mkraju. #InsidePolitics pic.twitter.com/KQjMmLoCZV
— Inside Politics (@InsidePolitics) November 5, 2023
Santos went on to express his disbelief and frustration as to why people were doubting his heritage.
"This is something I have always made very clear. I'm Catholic, come from a Jewish family, here's my Jewish family's history. Why is this a problem?" Santos told Raju.
Santos touted his Jewish ties while he was canvassing votes. But in December, the news site The Forward reported that Santos had claimed to be a "proud American Jew" in a memo that was sent to pro-Israel groups during his campaign.
Santos later told the New York Post in December that he "never claimed to be Jewish" and instead said he was "Jew-ish" because his maternal family had a Jewish background.
During the CNN interview, Santos appeared to immediately backpedal on his earlier remarks about having proof when Raju pressed him for solid documentation.
"I am working on finishing getting the last pieces of it, specifically the piece in Brazil where they go to Brazil, and then have documents forged so that they can blend in and all of that," Santos said.
CNN reported in December 2022 that Santos' maternal grandparents were born in Brazil, citing information from several sources such as genealogy platforms MyHeritage and Geneanet.
Santos, however, told Piers Morgan in February that his grandparents' birth documents were falsified and that they had fled to Brazil to escape the Holocaust.
"Once I have everything ready, I will allow the same company I hired to submit the report to the press, with glee, because that is going to be the one thing that I will be able to say I never intended to hurt anybody," Santos told Raju.
Santos has survived two resolutions to expel him from Congress this year. The scandal-plagued politician is seen as a liability to the GOP after he admitted to falsifying his education and work history while on the campaign trail.
Santos, who won election to the House in November 2022, is also facing federal charges of conspiracy, wire, credit card fraud, and identity theft.
Representatives for Santos did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours.