George Santos’ college education is a myth. Is he the only one lying? We checked.
How often are the educational backgrounds of Congressional legislators and candidates vetted, and how much do degrees matter? Craig Volden, Batten School professor and co-director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking, talked with USA Today about Congress members’ educational backgrounds and how a degree correlates to effectiveness as a legislator.
George Santos is an anomaly among lawmakers when it comes to fabricating his education credentials, based on a USA TODAY review of his fellow freshmen members of Congress.
But it turns out those credentials are rarely vetted.
The Long Island congressman claimed to have degrees from Baruch College and New York University, neither of which have a record of Santos earning a degree – a fact only publicized after he was elected in November.
Educational background checks for 91 out of 93 freshman members held up, in most cases for all of their cited degrees. About a dozen universities did not respond and the two discrepancies that emerged both were minor compared to Santos’.
In reaching out to 139 schools named in official biographies, campaign materials and news articles by the new senators and congress members, reporters heard back from dozens that few media outlets, sometimes none, had tried to verify the then-candidates’ educational credentials during the past year.
