GOP New York Rep.-elect George Santos revealed in two separate interviews on Monday that he had lied about certain aspects of his resume, but he insisted that he had not broken any laws and that he still intended to run for office.

As well as other public assertions he has made about his life, Santos has come under criticism for inconsistencies in his career and educational histories. Santos admitted to fabricating some information in conversations with WABC radio and the New York Post, his first public comments on the matter.

"I am not a criminal. Not here, not abroad, in any jurisdiction in the world have I ever committed any crimes," Santos said in an interview with WABC radio host John Catsimatidis.

"To get down to the nit and gritty, I'm not a fraud. I'm not a criminal who defrauded the entire country and made up this fictional character and ran for Congress. I've been around a long time. I mean, a lot of people know me. They know who I am. They've done business dealings with me," he added.

Santos also acknowledged that, contrary to what he had previously claimed, he had never worked directly for the financial institutions Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, but maintained that he had done so through his company, telling the New York Post that it was a "poor choice of words" to say he had done so.

In addition, while claiming to have degrees from Baruch College and New York University, he admitted to the Post that he never attended any college or university.

"I didn't graduate from any institution of higher learning. I'm embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume," he said, adding that he takes full responsibility for it and that "we do stupid things in life."

Democrats have argued that before Mr. Santos is scheduled to be seated when a new House is sworn in on Jan. 3, the inconsistencies as well as additional inquiries regarding Mr. Santos's finances should be examined. According to the Supreme Court, the House can only forbid candidates from winning office if they fail to meet the Constitution's standards for age, citizenship, and state residency.

In the interview with the New York Post, Mr. Santos also talked about his upbringing. On his campaign website, he claimed that during World War II, his mother's grandparents fled the persecution of Jews in Europe and settled the family in Brazil. His mother was born there. In interviews that were published, he had adopted both a Jewish and a Catholic identity. His familial history had been questioned in light of recent media stories.