Fact Check: Did George Santos go to Baruch? Volleyball claim explored 

New York Representative-elect George Santos' claims about being on the Volleyball team of his alleged alma mater, Baruch University, might get added to his pile of lies.

After Joseph Cairo, the chairman of the Nassau County Republican Committee, called out the 34-year-old politician for "deceiving the voters" and asked him to resign, a new report claims that Santos' story resembles the achievements of his former boss, Pablo Oliveira.

On Sunday, January 15, journalist Steven T Dennis shared an audio clip where Santos was discussing his alleged time at Baruch College. On New York City's radio show Sid & Friends in the Morning in 2020, George Santos allegedly fabricated a story about his college life while discussing his Congressional campaign. He said:

“I actually went to school on a volleyball school. When I was in Baruch (College) … we went to play against Harvard and Yale, and we slayed them. We were champions across the Northeast corridor. Every school that came up against us—they were shaking at the time.”

He also added that he had knee replacements on both knees because of playing volleyball.

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What did the new report suggest about George Santos' volleyball claims?

George Santos' claims about attending Baruch College and being on the Volleyball team were challenged by a new report by Inside Edition that suggests that the New York native's story's key elements bear a resemblance to his former boss, Pablo Oliveira's resume.

The publication noted that Oliveira was Santos' former boss at LinkBridge Investors. As per his LinkedIn profile, Oliveira graduated from Baruch University and was a part of the college's volleyball team there. He was an All-American volleyball player and had played twice.

As for Santos' story, he stated in a resume submitted to the Nassau County Republican Committee in 2020 that he graduated summa cum laude from Baruch College in 2010 with a GPA of 3.89.

In December 2022, The New York Times did a background check on George Santos and found several fabricated claims in his resume. While speaking to the outlet, he apologized for the same.

"I didn't graduate from any institution of higher learning. I'm embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume. I own up to that ... we do stupid things in life."

On the website of the National Republican Congressional Committee, he also claimed that he obtained an MBA degree from the New York University after scoring a 710 on GMAT.

In a press conference on January 11, Joseph Cairo told reporters that Santos once told him that he played volleyball at his alleged college.

"He told me, I remember specifically, 'I'm into sports a little bit.' That he was a star on the Baruch volleyball team and that they won the league championship. What can I tell you?"

The chair and other New York Republicans have asked Santos to resign for running a "campaign of deceit, lies, fabrication." They also stated that Santos was not welcome in the Republican headquarters.

Since then, seven house republicans - Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, Rep. Nick Langworthy, Rep. Nick LaLota, Rep. Brandon Williams, Rep. Mike Lawler, Rep. Nancy Mace, and Rep. Max Miller - have called out George Santos to resign from his position.

However, on January 12, George Santos told reporters outside his office that he would "not resign" and would continue to "hold my office elected by the people."