Life catches up to you fast when you’re *squints* a gay MAGA Republican running for office. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say lies catch up to you fast, as Rep.-elect George Santos can likely attest to after his first day in Congress.
What do we know about Santos? He’s a 34-year-old millennial. He’s a Republican. He managed to defeat a fellow openly gay man, Robert Zimmerman, who ran for the same seat in Long Island as a Democrat. It also appears Santos lied (or at least lied via implication) about a whole lot…. including, but not limited to, graduating from Baruch College, being Jewish (and having grandparents who fled the Nazi regime), his mother dying from cancer from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, having lost four workers to the Pulse nightclub massacre, and working at two major Wall Street firms (Citigroup and Goldman Sachs).
Remember when Trump went viral for holding that upside-down Pride flag? I like to think he was imagining a young man just like Santos. Surprising no one, Santos’ actual peers seem not to be—the image of him sitting alone on the day he was sworn into Congress is pretty epic. And an openly gay Congressman, Ritchie Torres, is actually introducing legislation to stop other politicians from getting away with the same stunts. Welcome to the spotlight, and the scrutiny, Santos.
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Even his own husband didn’t appear at his swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday. He also didn’t appear to wear his wedding ring. While his personal life is personal, folks are pointing out that while Santos says he’s been out for about a decade, he was actually married to a woman until 2019. Now, sexuality, relationships, etc are all nuanced, and one’s prior relationship status doesn't mean anything about their orientation. But when we’re stacking up all of the inconsistent information about Santos, it's worth pointing out.
As reported by CNN, Santos actually admitted to stealing a checkbook from his mother’s purse in order to buy clothes and shoes back in 2008. Police gave up the investigation because they weren’t able to locate Santos, but the outlet reports officials in Brazil (where Santos lived for some time) will reinstate the fraud charge investigation now.
You know what the internet has? Memes. So many memes.
Pedro Vilarva, an ex-boyfriend of Santos’s, told The New York Times in an interview that he covered many bills for Santos when they cohabitated. He recalled Santos saying he was an “investor” for Citigroup, and that’s how he got his money. Vilarva hypothesizes that Santos actually pawned his phone for cash.
“He never ever actually went to work,” Valarva recalled.
Torres has pledged to introduce the Stop Another Non-Truthful Officer Seek (SANTOS) Act, which would require House candidates to share background information under oath. Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelle has said she’s opened an investigation into Santos to see if he’s broken any campaign finance rules.
What better way to start the year than by previewing the biggest contests of 2023 on this week's episode of The Downballot? Progressives will want to focus on a Jan. 10 special election for the Virginia state Senate that would allow them to expand their skinny majority; the April 4 battle for the Wisconsin Supreme Court that could let progressives take control from conservatives; Chicago's mayoral race; gubernatorial contests in Kentucky and Louisiana; and much, much more.
