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The mother of George Santos, the incoming GOP Congressman who has been accused of fabricating much of his resume, was in the South Tower of the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks, according to his campaign website.

In November Santos pulled off a surprise win, beating Democrat Robert Zimmerman to flip New York's 3rd congressional district and help the Republicans achieve a narrow majority in the House.

However, the Republican is under pressure to verify numerous facts about his life, including his education, past employment and family background, following media investigations which challenged his claims.

Santos' official campaign website states: "George's work ethic comes from his mother, who came from nothing, but worked her way up to be the first female executive at a major financial institution.

"On September 11, 2001, George's mother was in her office in the South Tower. She survived the horrific events of that day, but unfortunately passed away a few years later."

Nearly 3,000 people were murdered in the 9/11 attacks, which saw Al-Qaeda hijackers seize four passenger jets, flying two into the World Trade Center and one into the Pentagon. The fourth aircraft was deliberately crashed into a field in Pennsylvania, after passengers onboard staged a revolt.

CBS News quoted a pastor, Father Jose Carlos da Silva, of Saint Rita's Catholic Church, in Long Island City, Queens, on Thursday, who said he knew Santos' family well. After Santos' mother, Fatima Devolder, died in 2016, Santos told da Silva that the family couldn't afford a funeral, CBS reported.

Speaking to The New York Times, representatives of Baruch College, which Santos claimed to have graduated from in 2010, could find no record of him studying there.

Similarly, both Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, which Santos said he'd worked at, told the paper they have no evidence of him being employed by their respective companies.

Santos said his maternal grandfather was a Ukrainian Jew, who fled first to Belgium then Brazil to escape the Holocaust, changing his name to avoid persecution.

However, speaking to CNN multiple genealogists said they could not substantiate this, with documents suggesting both of Santos' maternal grandparents were born in Brazil.

Genealogist and author Megan Smolenyak, who helped the network investigate Santos's family background, said: "There's no sign of Jewish and/or Ukrainian heritage and no indication of name changes along the way."

It also been reported that Santos, who has described himself as "openly gay," was previously married to a woman and didn't disclose this fact on the campaign trail.

Court documents obtained by the Daily Beast indicate he and a female spouse were divorced in September 2019.

On Thursday Santos indicated he will comment on the allegations against him next week.

He tweeted: "To the people of #NY03 I have my story to tell and it will be told next week. I want to assure everyone that I will address your questions and that I remain committed to deliver the results I campaigned on; Public safety, Inflation, Education & more."

Previously Santos posted a statement from his attorney, Joseph Murray, who accused The New York Times of attempting to "smear his good name" with "defamatory allegations."

Newsweek has asked Santos for comment.

Earlier this week, former President Donald Trump came under fire after it emerged his taxes hadn't been audited for years, despite him using this as an excuse not to release his tax records.

Update 12/23/22, 10:20 a.m. EST: This article was updated to add that Newsweek has asked Santos for comment.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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