After questioning whether it was unprecedented that GOP Congressman-elect George Santos could become a lawmaker with so many alleged holes in his background and resumé, Politico’s Sam Stein was reminded this week that President Biden was once a senator.
Twitter users swarmed Stein’s tweet suggesting it was groundbreaking that someone with such an allegedly spotty background could become a member of Congress, insisting that it’s happened before with the tall-tale-telling Biden.
Santos is under fire after a New York Times report that he misrepresented numerous aspects of his background and employment history. The Republican, who flipped New York’s 3rd Congressional District into the GOP column in November, has called allegations that he lied to voters about his biography a “smear” and “defamatory.”
US President Joe Biden speaks during a town hall with veterans and veteran survivors in New Castle, Delaware, on December 16, 2022. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
(JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
The report prompted Stein to tweet, “Is there any precedent at all to this George Santos situation? Has Congress ever had someone with so many remarkable biographical holes?” Santos is facing accusations he lied about everything from his glitzy Wall Street career – Goldman Sachs and Citigroup have no record he worked there – to his family background and his educational pedigree.
However, some prominent conservatives reminded Stein of Biden, who last week made an unverifiable claim about giving his “Uncle Frank” a Purple Heart while he was vice president.
The Spectator contributing editor Stephen Miller responded to Stein with several examples of Biden tall tales, writing, “The current president says he was imprisoned with Nelson Mandela and gave his dead uncle a Purple Heart. Would you like to know other things like his law school record or are you really being serious about this?”
“How dare you impugn the integrity of a man who was arrested marching with MLK,” another user added.
Journalist and Grabien.com founder Tom Elliott responded to Stein with a lengthy list of unverified Biden claims from his career and life, tweeting, “Biden claims: — Survived a fire — Arrested in civil rights march — Star football player — Once a truck driver — Arrested meeting Mandela — Son killed in Iraq— Overheard mass shooting — Top of his class in college— Hit a 368’ homer in baseball game — Had job at timber co.”
And that was just one of four lists of alleged Biden lies Elliott tweeted out.
Republican candidate for New York’s 3rd Congressional District George Santos campaigns outside a Stop and Shop store, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in Glen Cove, N.Y. Santos won his race but is now under fire about accusations he misrepresented his background. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Townhall.com columnist Brad Slager provided a list of Biden claims for Stein as well, tweeting, “Joe Biden was raised Puerto Rican, had cancer, jailed with Mandela, arrested in civil rights, drove semis, played flankerback, his hometown rained oil, awarded a dead uncle the Purple Heart, went to synagogue on Sunday, and fought a drug dealer named Corn-Pop. Source: Joe Biden.”
National Review contributor Pradheep Shanker responded, “In an era where the current President has a decades long documented history about lying about his resume and even the circumstances around the death of his family (without even mentioning his predecessor), I honestly can’t believe you are asking this question.”
Journalist Jim Treacher couldn’t believe Stein was asking the question. He replied, “You’re trolling, right?”
Reporter Jim Stinson reminded Stein of two other lawmakers who have been known to embellish things: Sen. Richard Blumental, D-Conn., who falsely claimed he “served in Vietnam,” and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who was forced to apologize after repeatedly identifying as Native American over the years.
“Admittedly, there are fewer holes. But they are big ones,” Stinson wrote.
President Biden has been known to embellish or outright fabricate stories about his background.
Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo and Kyle Morris contributed to this report.
