Rep.-elect Santos admits lying about his credentials

Rep.-elect George Santos on Monday told the New York Post that he had fabricated important elements of his biography before last month’s midterm elections.

“My sins here are embellishing my resume. I’m sorry,” Santos (R-N.Y.) was quoted as saying in an interview in which he also said he fully intends to serve his two-year term in Congress. He also gave an interview to WABC radio.

Among other things, Santos told the New York Post that he had not worked “directly” for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, saying that a company he did work for did business with both of them.

He also said he had not graduated from Baruch College, nor “from any institution of higher learning.”

“I am not a criminal,” he was quoted as saying.

The 34-year-old Long Island Republican was elected to replace Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), who did not seek another term. He defeated Democrat Robert Zimmerman by 8 percentage points in what was regarded as a toss-up race.

“We do stupid things in life,” Santos told the Post.

Santos’ background had come under question due to reporting in the New York Times. His lawyer said the Times’ reporting constituted a “smear,” but on Thursday, Santos tweeted: “To the people of #NY03 I have my story to tell and it will be told next week.”

Santos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Major donor believes Democrats ‘squandered’ chance to draft party’s next ‘Lebron James’



A big-time donor for President Joe Biden thinks the Democrats missed a big opportunity by passing the ball to Vice President Kamala Harris without a convention, and he won’t be funding her run.

John Morgan, a Florida attorney and major donor for previous Democratic candidates, shared his views with Fox News host Neil Cavuto on Tuesday afternoon on why he’s not giving the Democratic presidential nominee any money.

“Harris brings a lot of great things to the table,” Morgan said. “Is she the best messenger? Is she the best person? Is her way the best way to go forward? And for me, I don’t think so.”

He compared the convention process to a fantasy basketball draft, noting that any smart player’s top draft should be a no-brainer.

“We would pick Lebron James,” Morgan said. “We had that type of opportunity but they seem to be squandering it by taking a lesser pick.”

Read also: ‘I’m out’: Major Biden donor reveals why he’s not backing Kamala Harris

Cavuto pressed Morgan on who he thinks his party’s Lebron James is, and he listed off several party favorites: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Witmer – noting that a vetted combination of star players would be the strongest choice.

But that ship has sailed, Morgan said, adding that whoever she picks as a running mate is irrelevant at this point.

“The deal is done. I don’t think there’s anything more that can be done,” Morgan said. “People vote for president, they don't vote for vice president.”

Watch the clip below or at this link.

Former Democratic presidential candidate endorses Whitmer for VP



Former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio endorsed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to be vice president Sunday evening, calling a ticket combining Vice President Kamala Harris and the Michigan governor “the winning hand” for Democrats after President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign Sunday afternoon.

“The heroic, selfless decision by Joe Biden has given us the chance to nominate two leaders who will wipe the smirk off Donald Trump’s face and allow us to come roaring back,” de Blasio said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The best way to beat Trump? Team up @VP Kamala Harris and @GovWhitmer!
The heroic, selfless decision by @JoeBiden has given us the chance to nominate two leaders who will wipe the smirk off Donald Trump’s face and allow us to come roaring back. A Harris-Whitmer ticket is the…
— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) July 22, 2024

De Blasio ran for president during the 2020 cycle and participated in the presidential debates held in Detroit in 2019.

Biden endorsed Harris to be the Democratic nominee for president shortly after ending his own campaign, and Harris has started the process of taking over his existing campaign apparatus.

Several Michigan officials quickly endorsed Harris on Sunday, including U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) and Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.), U.S. Reps. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids), Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor), Dan Kildee (D-Flint), Shri Thanedar (D-Detroit) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly), Attorney General Dana Nessel and former governors Jim Blanchard and Jennifer Granholm.

Granholm also serves as Biden’s energy secretary. Another member of Biden’s cabinet, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who lives in Traverse City, also quickly endorsed Harris.

Buttigieg is among the names who have been floated as a potential replacement for Biden or running mate for Harris, along with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who also endorsed Harris on Sunday, and Whitmer.

Whitmer did not endorse anyone Sunday but said that her “job in this election will remain the same: doing everything I can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump, a convicted felon whose agenda of raising families’ costs, banning abortion nationwide and abusing the power of the White House to settle his own scores is completely wrong for Michigan.”

Other officials being floated as potential running mates for Harris include Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.

We need a Harris-Whitmer ticket now!
Think of the excitement and energy that would bring! @KamalaHarris and @GovWhitmer: That’s a team we can win with. https://t.co/Pz2Kc7CqzV
— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) July 22, 2024

While some have indicated they believe Harris may select a male running mate to “balance” the ticket, de Blasio urged delegates to “think of the excitement and energy” a Harris-Whitmer ticket would bring.

“We need a Harris-Whitmer ticket now!” de Blasio said.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan J. Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on Facebook and X.

Furious columnist hits out at N.Y. Times for report on Black voters’ view of Kamala Harris



Black pundits and columnists are already predicting the racism that will surface from some of the top media outlets in the country as they try to cover a candidate of color in the presidential race.

Writing for "The Nation," legal expert Elie Mystal shredded the New York Times for a report they titled: "Some Black Voters Say They Wonder if a Black Woman Can Win."

Mystal was furious as the Times "used other Black people to make their point."

Read Also: The prosecutor vs. the felon

He explained that as a Black voter, he wonders about many things.

"I wonder if aliens exist; I wonder if God is an a--hole; I wonder how many abortions Donald Trump has paid for," Mystal wrote Tuesday. "But the Times wouldn’t run a story that stated 'Some Black Voters Say They Wonder How Many Active Ku Klux Klan Members Attended the Republican National Convention.'"

He thinks that more Black voters likely wonder about the latter than about whether Harris could win in November.

One Black woman from Atlanta, interviewed by the Times, said, "America is just not ready for a woman president, especially not a Black woman president."

Keli Goff at The Daily Beast is another writer parroting that language, he said. Her sentiment is akin to, “I’d vote for a Black woman, but not that Black woman.”

Mystal wrote that Goff simply stating what the U.S. has told Black people for generations, especially Black women. That message: "America hates you."

"We see the disdain this country holds for people of color whenever we turn on the news. We feel the antipathy this country holds for women every time we go to work, or read an opinion from the Supreme Court," Mystal wrote.

"Harris has been subjected to the worst press coverage of any vice president in my lifetime, and she’s about to be subjected to the worst coverage of any presidential candidate in American history… save perhaps Hillary Clinton."

He called it nothing more than "white male supremacy," which not only dictates the leadership, but works to hold others down by telling them that they feel don't deserve power.

"I can already see David Brooks and Bret Stephens clacking away on their keyboards, doing everything in their power to call Harris unqualified, unintelligent, and undeserving of the office she seeks," Mystal wrote.

The Washington Post editorial board has already taken a different path by encouraging Harris not to hold back out of prudence.

He warned it will get "ugly," but said he won't be deterred by "programming that’s designed to make me think a woman of color can’t win."

While "they are not ready for her, but she is ready to beat them," Mystal closed.

Read the full column here.