GOP Congressman Accused of ‘Fabricating’ Career After Infamous Tinder Age Fib

Screenshot via @RepMackenzie on X
Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) is facing accusations that he inflated his professional résumé by portraying himself as having worked in real estate — the latest allegation of embellishment against the Republican congressman, who was previously accused of shaving nearly a decade off his age on Tinder.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accused Mackenzie of having “fabricated a career … that never existed,” according to a Thursday report from The Guardian.
Mackenzie obtained a Pennsylvania real estate salesperson’s license in 2006 but allowed it to expire without renewing it in 2008. During that period, he also worked for the Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Department of Labor.
References to real estate have nevertheless appeared throughout descriptions of Mackenzie’s professional background, the outlet noted. His 2012 campaign for the Pennsylvania state House said he had “private sector experience as a real estate salesperson,” while his LinkedIn profile says he “was a real estate salesperson licensed in PA.”
His current congressional biography offers a more limited description, stating, “He worked on a number of political campaigns and earned his real estate sales license before entering public service.”
Mackenzie spokesperson Arnaud Armstrong declined to tell The Guardian whether the congressman ever made a real estate sale or used his license, while characterizing descriptions of real estate as a career as “passing mentions, mostly from third parties.”
DCCC spokesperson Eli Cousin tied the questions about Mackenzie’s résumé to an earlier controversy surrounding his dating profile.
“Ryan Mackenzie was already disgustingly caught lying about his age on his Tinder profile by nearly 10 years. Now it looks like Mackenzie and his allies have embellished his résumé and fabricated a career in real estate that never existed,” Cousin told the paper in a statement.
In 2024, it was reported that Mackenzie listed himself as 29 years old on Tinder in 2020, when he was actually 37. At the time, his office did not dispute the allegation.
The scrutiny comes as Mackenzie seeks a second term in Pennsylvania’s competitive 7th Congressional District. He won the seat by roughly one percentage point in 2024 and is now facing Democrat Bob Brooks, the former president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association.
New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!
Comments
↓ Scroll down for comments ↓