Gay Republican George Santos Lied About Grandparents Fleeing Holocaust
(CNN) -- Claims by incoming Republican Rep. George Santos that his grandparents "survived the Holocaust" as Ukrainian Jewish refugees from Belgium who changed their surname to survive are contradicted by sources reviewed by CNN's KFile including family trees compiled by genealogy websites, records on Jewish refugees and interviews with multiple genealogists.Santos, who has called himself "half Jewish" and a "Latino Jew" in media appearances, has claimed his maternal grandfather was originally from Ukraine and fled to Brazil to escape Nazism.
In another telling, the New York Republican said his grandparents converted to Catholicism during the rise of Nazism in Belgium after fleeing Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union.
In another telling, he claimed his family changed their name to survive Nazism.CNN spoke to multiple genealogists who said there was no proof of the claims.
Santos' misrepresentations of his family history were first reported by The Forward on Wednesday. Records from the Holocaust Museum and the International Center on Nazi Persecution, which contain records on Jewish refugees, also show no mention of Santos' grandparents.Megan Smolenyak, an author and professional genealogist who helped research Santos' family tree at CNN's request, said in email, "There's no sign of Jewish and/or Ukrainian heritage and no indication of name changes along the way."The incoming Republican lawmaker has faced scrutiny over his resume since The New York Times revealed on Monday that Santos' biography appeared to be partly fictional.
