George Santos says his mom was at the World Trade Center on 9/11. Records show she wasn't even in the country, the Forward reports.

The embattled New York Republican wrote on his campaign website that his mother was "in her office in the South Tower on September 11, 2001."

• A new batch of government records contradict another part of Rep. George Santos' life story.
• The embattled New York Republican claims his mother was in a World Trade Center tower on 9/11.
• Immigration files show that Fatima Devolder was living in Brazil at the time. 

Embattled GOP Rep. George Santos says his mother was in her office in the World Trade Center during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but according to The Forward, immigration records show she wasn't even in the country at the time.  

His mother, Fatima Devolder, applied for a US visa in 2003, the Forward reported, citing immigration documents. In those documents, Devolver asserted she hadn't been in the United States since 1999, according to The Forward.

Santos' campaign website claimed that his mother was "in her office in the South Tower on September 11, 2001, when the horrific events of that day unfolded." Santos said Devolver survived the day but died years later of cancer. 

In a July 2021 tweet, Santos said that "9/11 claimed my mothers life."

The apparent contradiction is the latest for the embattled New York Republican, who has admitted he lied about his education and job history before winning a seat in Congress.

Santos' office did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment about Fatima Devolder's whereabouts on September 11, 2001 or the latest challenge to Rep. Santos' portrayal of his family history. 

According to the Forward-reviewed immigration records tracking Fatima Devolder's travels from 1988 through 2012, Santos' mother was actually in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro on 9/11. 

That summer she had filed a request for a replacement green card at the US consulate in Rio, reporting that her identification had been stolen in June 1999. Upon submitting another application in 2003 to try and resolve the open issue, Fatima Devolder reaffirmed that she had not stepped foot in the US since 1999. 

Other than the torrent of stunning headlines, Santos' penchant for lying hasn't derailed his nascent Capitol Hill career — yet. He's found a few defenders among fellow scandal-plagued House Republicans, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.

House GOP leaders have given their blessing to seating Santos on two congressional committees and weakened a congressional ethics panel designed to investigate members, like Santos, accused of wrongdoing.   

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.