CNN
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Ex-boyfriend of the New York Congressman. George Santos said the Long Island Republican faced growing calls to resign for lying about his past and that he would never do so, even as he faces multiple investigations, including into his finances.
“His ego is too big. He’s not going to resign. If they don’t find a way to let him (leave), he won’t do it. That’s for sure, know who he is,” Pedro Vilarva said Thursday in told CNN’s Erin Burnett on “OutFront.”
Vilalba said he met Santos in 2014, when he was 18. Santos was 26 years old and married to a woman. They moved in together shortly after Vilarva graduated from high school. Vilarva said their relationship fell apart as his suspicions about Santos grew, and Santos repeatedly said he was going to take Vilarva to Hawaii to propose, but never did. Vilarva believes Santos ended up stealing his phone and selling it for cash.
CNN has reached out to Santos’ attorney for comment on the allegations.
Asked if he was surprised that Santos was now an MP, Viralva said he was not.
“What he was looking for was fame and power,” said Vilalva. “That’s all he cared about, and he got it.”
Santos was married to a woman during his relationship with Villalba, who told CNN he only learned about it after he moved out of Santos’ home.
“It was a bit of a shock to me,” Vilalva said. “But then he used to say he was getting a divorce, he was getting a divorce – but never divorced. Then I went and found out they were divorced (in 2019).”
CNN reviewed official records and confirmed that Santos was married to a woman from 2012 to 2019 until their divorce.
Vilalba also said he knew Santos had lied for years, including the congressman’s claim that he worked for financial firm Citigroup.
“I already knew,” he said, “because I never saw him work.”
But with new reports revealing the extent of Santos’ fabrications, Biralva says the situation has weighed heavily on him.
“It’s very shocking. It’s also kind of disturbing. It happened nine years ago,” he told CNN. “Everything came back at once.”