Revelations about inaccuracies in Santos’ education and employment background broke open after he was elected, in an investigation by the New York Times. The discrepancies, which he has called “embellishments,” have led to criminal investigations, calls for a House Ethics Committee probe and calls for his resignation.
They also have caused political officials and the media to take a hard look at their vetting processes.
In finger-pointing about missed Santos red flags, Democratic party officials pointed back at the media. Jason Kaplan, a campaign consultant for Santos’ Democratic opponent Robert Zimmerman tweeted that, “we’ve been screaming it from the rooftops since September.”
New York University sends third party requests to a clearinghouse to process validation requests, potentially a roadblock that could explain how Santos’ record went unnoticed.
“My biggest concern is that this story gets forgotten,” Zimmerman said. “We need to toughen the laws that hold you accountable for lying on your ethics forms and invest in the local media because journalism is the front line defense to this.”
Vetting college credentials is traditionally a simple process for media and political researchers alike. Still, several universities either didn’t respond to USA TODAY, demanded formal written state records requests or declined to provide information citing federal privacy laws – laws that allow people to put a hold on their own files.
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