Who is George Santos?
December 19, 2022 7:46 AM Subscribe
New congressmember-elect (R-NY, Long Island) George Santos's resume seems to be fictional (NYTimes)
The details in the article are remarkable and amusing, but raise a serious question: How did a man who was evicted twice in an 18-month period suddenly have enough cash to lend $700,000 to his campaign five years later? Previous reporting by the Daily Beast details Santos's association with an alleged ponzi scheme.
The details in the article are remarkable and amusing, but raise a serious question: How did a man who was evicted twice in an 18-month period suddenly have enough cash to lend $700,000 to his campaign five years later? Previous reporting by the Daily Beast details Santos's association with an alleged ponzi scheme.
And yet the newly Republican-controlled House will certainly seat him rather than further narrow their majority.
All of this could have come out before the election, and it might have been enough to swing even an 8 point difference, given the overwhelming evidence that virtually everything about his life appears to be exaggerated or wholly invented. But in two years it may not be enough to overcome the incumbency advantage.
It should be standard operating procedure in Democratic campaigns to vet even the most banal claims about a Republican candidate's life story.
posted by jedicus at 8:00 AM on December 19, 2022 [39 favorites]
All of this could have come out before the election, and it might have been enough to swing even an 8 point difference, given the overwhelming evidence that virtually everything about his life appears to be exaggerated or wholly invented. But in two years it may not be enough to overcome the incumbency advantage.
It should be standard operating procedure in Democratic campaigns to vet even the most banal claims about a Republican candidate's life story.
posted by jedicus at 8:00 AM on December 19, 2022 [39 favorites]
It's absolute political malfeasance that the NY Dems managed to lose to this chucklefuck. Literally the barest amount of oppo would have sunk his campaign, but they didn't even bother. The Daily Beast reporting is from APRIL.
I live in Santos' district, and leading up to the election, I got mailers every day from his campaign about the lawless Democrats and the crime that they love, and hardly anything from Zimmerman. The entire midterm cycle was dominated by outright GOP lies that New York Democrats made zero effort to refute.
Like, Long Island is, in many areas, a wasteland filled with white-flight shitheels whose entire political philosophy is fuck-you-got-mine. But this district was eminently winnable, and NY Dems didn't even try.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:03 AM on December 19, 2022 [58 favorites]
I live in Santos' district, and leading up to the election, I got mailers every day from his campaign about the lawless Democrats and the crime that they love, and hardly anything from Zimmerman. The entire midterm cycle was dominated by outright GOP lies that New York Democrats made zero effort to refute.
Like, Long Island is, in many areas, a wasteland filled with white-flight shitheels whose entire political philosophy is fuck-you-got-mine. But this district was eminently winnable, and NY Dems didn't even try.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:03 AM on December 19, 2022 [58 favorites]
Seconding what uncleozzy said: keep in mind that the TOTAL margin from the five closest house races was less than 7K votes. Fuck you to everyone in one of these districts—and those in NY3—who didn't fucking vote. This stuff actually matters, even if you think your comfortable life won't be that upset by fascists gaining power in the US.
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 8:08 AM on December 19, 2022 [12 favorites]
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 8:08 AM on December 19, 2022 [12 favorites]
wow. that's a hell of a thorough takedown. running down an arrest in Brazil 14 years ago? well done. but...
where the hell was this reporting a few months ago, when it would have made a difference? During my career as a reporter I backgrounded a few candidates. Most of this stuff -- confirming education, work history, corporate and property records, a non-profits stance -- is a piece of cake. Any rookie could have done it with a bit of guidance in a few hours. And to be clear, at least a few years ago, that kind of backgrounding was SOP for covering a political race of any significance.
That a paper with the Times' resources would whiff on a story this big in its own backyard is ridiculous. And that Long Island's Newsday -- which in the early 2000s had one of the very best investigative teams in the U.S. -- never picked this up is a sign of how all but the national papers have been decimated by the industry's economics.
posted by martin q blank at 8:35 AM on December 19, 2022 [59 favorites]
where the hell was this reporting a few months ago, when it would have made a difference? During my career as a reporter I backgrounded a few candidates. Most of this stuff -- confirming education, work history, corporate and property records, a non-profits stance -- is a piece of cake. Any rookie could have done it with a bit of guidance in a few hours. And to be clear, at least a few years ago, that kind of backgrounding was SOP for covering a political race of any significance.
That a paper with the Times' resources would whiff on a story this big in its own backyard is ridiculous. And that Long Island's Newsday -- which in the early 2000s had one of the very best investigative teams in the U.S. -- never picked this up is a sign of how all but the national papers have been decimated by the industry's economics.
posted by martin q blank at 8:35 AM on December 19, 2022 [59 favorites]
So Zimmerman says: "This story is not a shock to me. We always knew he was running a scam against the voters & we raised many of these issues but were drowned out in the gov’s race where crime was the focus & the media had other priorities”
Which deserves some elaborations…
I wonder if the NYT ombudsman (do they still have one?) will comment as to why this was published after the election. They should.
posted by girlmightlive at 8:40 AM on December 19, 2022 [19 favorites]
Which deserves some elaborations…
I wonder if the NYT ombudsman (do they still have one?) will comment as to why this was published after the election. They should.
posted by girlmightlive at 8:40 AM on December 19, 2022 [19 favorites]
I'm glad this is at least getting dug into and published before the inauguration.
I wonder whether any of the local alt-weeklies or other similar alternative news sources were trying to raise the alarm about this sort of stuff before the election. I think they might have been able to notice, for instance, the discrepancies in the IRS records, even if Baruch College and local prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro didn't respond to their calls or emails.
It's a bit breathtaking that this candidate ran for federal office betting that the deceptions would never come out.
posted by brainwane at 8:47 AM on December 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
I wonder whether any of the local alt-weeklies or other similar alternative news sources were trying to raise the alarm about this sort of stuff before the election. I think they might have been able to notice, for instance, the discrepancies in the IRS records, even if Baruch College and local prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro didn't respond to their calls or emails.
It's a bit breathtaking that this candidate ran for federal office betting that the deceptions would never come out.
posted by brainwane at 8:47 AM on December 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
Good thing he's not a Democrat or he'd be out of a job.
posted by dobbs at 8:49 AM on December 19, 2022 [53 favorites]
posted by dobbs at 8:49 AM on December 19, 2022 [53 favorites]
It's a bit breathtaking that this candidate ran for federal office betting that the deceptions would never come out.
I think it's more a bet that they won't matter, which will likely prove to be true.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:50 AM on December 19, 2022 [8 favorites]
I think it's more a bet that they won't matter, which will likely prove to be true.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:50 AM on December 19, 2022 [8 favorites]
Is it possible it just took this long for the fact checking? I have to remind myself that all these media companies now have the Gawker verdict in their rear views.
posted by girlmightlive at 8:56 AM on December 19, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by girlmightlive at 8:56 AM on December 19, 2022 [4 favorites]
Josh Marshall on Talking Points Memo looked briefly into Santos last year. His note today isn't a mea culpa for missing the bigger story, but I wonder if it should have been.
When I saw the headline I thought, wait, don’t I remember that name? Sure enough, almost exactly a year ago I wrote a couple posts about Santos’ pack of nonsensical tall tales. To be fair, the Times went into infinitely more depth. I was mainly focused on a gas price tale of woe he was pitching on social media. Santos explained how he was paying an insane amount of money putting gas in his car because of Joe Biden’s inflation. The problem was that his claimed spending required him to be logging at least 1,000 miles a week on a 15-mile commute.posted by PresidentOfDinosaurs at 9:12 AM on December 19, 2022 [4 favorites]
The fact-check on Baruch strikes me as cursory and weak, actually. BC says "no one with that name graduated that year" and...that's it? Somehow we know that J-Lo attended for exactly one semester, but they don't want to talk about whether a Robert Santos attended the school in the aughts. It's not exactly the kind of place you would choose as your fictional alma mater.
posted by anhedonic at 9:15 AM on December 19, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by anhedonic at 9:15 AM on December 19, 2022 [5 favorites]
Fuck you to everyone in one of these districts—and those in NY3—who didn't fucking vote. This stuff actually matters, even if you think your comfortable life won't be that upset by fascists gaining power in the US.
If these imaginary people you're so angry at are as self-centered and privileged as you suggest, what makes you conclude that if they did vote, they would break for the candidate you'd like them to?
Like, this type of anger fantasy is built entirely on the imaginary of a group of people who are ideologically simpatico with the speaker but have some sort of fatal and mysterious character flaw that makes them hate voting.
posted by dusty potato at 9:20 AM on December 19, 2022 [28 favorites]
If these imaginary people you're so angry at are as self-centered and privileged as you suggest, what makes you conclude that if they did vote, they would break for the candidate you'd like them to?
Like, this type of anger fantasy is built entirely on the imaginary of a group of people who are ideologically simpatico with the speaker but have some sort of fatal and mysterious character flaw that makes them hate voting.
posted by dusty potato at 9:20 AM on December 19, 2022 [28 favorites]
And that Long Island's Newsday -- which in the early 2000s had one of the very best investigative teams in the U.S. -- never picked this up is a sign of how all but the national papers have been decimated by the industry's economics.
Yes, this is very much the issue. This is what local journalism used to do, and it is the reason why right-wing operators hate local journalism and do everything they can to purchase and either kill small presses and newsrooms or defang them and wrap them into larger, ideologically-biased media empires. I'm sympathetic to the frustration with the NY Times for not digging into this before the election, but at the same time that's an inevitable consequence of consolidation; there should be a wide variety of news organizations with different focuses and priorities covering these types of stories and uncovering scandals that can bubble up to greater prominence, and a media landscape dominated by just a few large organizations simply isn't going to catch all the stories like this one.
posted by biogeo at 9:31 AM on December 19, 2022 [33 favorites]
running down an arrest in Brazil 14 years ago?
The wording in the article wasn't entirely clear to me, but it sounded like not only was he arrested and charged, but then it has been unresolved since then. What I wish they had made clear was if this is just because the court process ended but some formality to close it wasn't completed, or if he skipped out on the charges by heading back to the US and still has those charges pending.
Regardless, even if no one tracked down the Brazilian arrest, some of the rest seems so obvious that it is amazing that his opponent didn't dig that out and hammer him with it.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:37 AM on December 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
The wording in the article wasn't entirely clear to me, but it sounded like not only was he arrested and charged, but then it has been unresolved since then. What I wish they had made clear was if this is just because the court process ended but some formality to close it wasn't completed, or if he skipped out on the charges by heading back to the US and still has those charges pending.
Regardless, even if no one tracked down the Brazilian arrest, some of the rest seems so obvious that it is amazing that his opponent didn't dig that out and hammer him with it.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:37 AM on December 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
they don't want to talk about whether a Robert Santos attended the school in the aughts. It's not exactly the kind of place you would choose as your fictional alma mater.
anhedonic, I'm not sure I understand your thinking on a few points. One is on "they don't want to talk about". The story says "Baruch College said it was unable to find records of Mr. Santos — using multiple variations of his first, middle and last names — having graduated in 2010, as he has claimed." It sounds like you think they should have checked for "was he ever enrolled" in addition to "did he graduate"? I thiiiink that's harder under FERPA although I only skimmed the rules.
Baruch seems a totally reasonable choice for a fictional alma mater for Santos. It's a name that's known well enough to his constituents but doesn't seem so prestigious that it's out of line with the rest of his bio. And it's a busy city school without (I believe) much of a fraternity-type life, and where people transfer in and out a lot and don't necessarily know their classmates well, so it's hard for someone to say "I went there and I KNOW he wasn't there that year, because I would remember him".
posted by brainwane at 9:37 AM on December 19, 2022 [5 favorites]
anhedonic, I'm not sure I understand your thinking on a few points. One is on "they don't want to talk about". The story says "Baruch College said it was unable to find records of Mr. Santos — using multiple variations of his first, middle and last names — having graduated in 2010, as he has claimed." It sounds like you think they should have checked for "was he ever enrolled" in addition to "did he graduate"? I thiiiink that's harder under FERPA although I only skimmed the rules.
Baruch seems a totally reasonable choice for a fictional alma mater for Santos. It's a name that's known well enough to his constituents but doesn't seem so prestigious that it's out of line with the rest of his bio. And it's a busy city school without (I believe) much of a fraternity-type life, and where people transfer in and out a lot and don't necessarily know their classmates well, so it's hard for someone to say "I went there and I KNOW he wasn't there that year, because I would remember him".
posted by brainwane at 9:37 AM on December 19, 2022 [5 favorites]
Baruch does not grant a degree in "economics and finance." The department is shared, but the degree is either BBA in Finance and Investments, or BBA in Economics. That jumped out at me immediately, in the "someone is bullshitting this" way.
posted by Liesl at 9:37 AM on December 19, 2022 [12 favorites]
posted by Liesl at 9:37 AM on December 19, 2022 [12 favorites]
I wonder if the NYT ombudsman (do they still have one?) will comment as to why this was published after the election.
I kind of laughed. That organization has no language for speaking to power, much less a spine that might hold them upright long enough speak it.
posted by mhoye at 9:42 AM on December 19, 2022 [6 favorites]
I kind of laughed. That organization has no language for speaking to power, much less a spine that might hold them upright long enough speak it.
posted by mhoye at 9:42 AM on December 19, 2022 [6 favorites]
Santos explained how he was paying an insane amount of money putting gas in his car because of Joe Biden’s inflation. The problem was that his claimed spending required him to be logging at least 1,000 miles a week on a 15-mile commute.
I remember that story. It was so thoroughly and obviously wrong that I immediately chalked this guy up as one of those sacrificial Republicans in a sapphire-blue district who was really just trying out for a post-election FNCU gig.
posted by Etrigan at 9:44 AM on December 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
I remember that story. It was so thoroughly and obviously wrong that I immediately chalked this guy up as one of those sacrificial Republicans in a sapphire-blue district who was really just trying out for a post-election FNCU gig.
posted by Etrigan at 9:44 AM on December 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
The NYT has been consistent on the political front:
Everything is bad news for Democrats, and the Democrats are always in a state of disarray.
It's OK if you are Republican.
We should always be looking at politics with the filter that whatever Republicans are whining about today is what we all should be talking about.
This is true for most media, but the NYT, at least on the political/opinion pages, has been all about these tenets since at least Bill Clinton's presidency.
posted by Chuffy at 9:59 AM on December 19, 2022 [11 favorites]
Everything is bad news for Democrats, and the Democrats are always in a state of disarray.
It's OK if you are Republican.
We should always be looking at politics with the filter that whatever Republicans are whining about today is what we all should be talking about.
This is true for most media, but the NYT, at least on the political/opinion pages, has been all about these tenets since at least Bill Clinton's presidency.
posted by Chuffy at 9:59 AM on December 19, 2022 [11 favorites]
uncleozzy has it: this is just the (so far) most noteworthy of failures of the NY Democratic Party to do fuck-all in these mid-terms. Everything that happens as a result of the current GOP House majority ultimately rests at the feet of those fuckers.
To me, the most ghoulish of his lies has to be connecting the Pulse Nightclub shooting to his personal story in what appears to be an outright fabrication. But that's pretty buried in the story here.
Christ, What An Asshole.
posted by Navelgazer at 10:03 AM on December 19, 2022 [10 favorites]
To me, the most ghoulish of his lies has to be connecting the Pulse Nightclub shooting to his personal story in what appears to be an outright fabrication. But that's pretty buried in the story here.
Christ, What An Asshole.
posted by Navelgazer at 10:03 AM on December 19, 2022 [10 favorites]
Democratic consultant Tim Hogan tweets:
I know there are at least like 3-4 people out there reading the "why didn't they pitch this George Santos oppo?!" who definitely pitched it and got rebuffed and are currently losing their mindsposted by brainwane at 10:11 AM on December 19, 2022 [23 favorites]
DMs are open for therapy
Worse than Republicans being falsely convinced that the media is liberal is that many Democrats seem to believe it too.
posted by Gelatin at 10:48 AM on December 19, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by Gelatin at 10:48 AM on December 19, 2022 [6 favorites]
and the first openly gay Republican to win a House seat as a non-incumbent.
does this mean there was an openly-gay Republican incumbent who won a House seat?
posted by chavenet at 10:59 AM on December 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
does this mean there was an openly-gay Republican incumbent who won a House seat?
posted by chavenet at 10:59 AM on December 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
The NYT has been consistent on the political front:
I don’t conflate the columnists with the reporters in this way.
And based on the number of people saying the NY Dems actually are in disarray, that’s not the Times’s fault.
posted by girlmightlive at 11:43 AM on December 19, 2022
I don’t conflate the columnists with the reporters in this way.
And based on the number of people saying the NY Dems actually are in disarray, that’s not the Times’s fault.
posted by girlmightlive at 11:43 AM on December 19, 2022
anhedonic, I'm not sure I understand your thinking on a few points
My gut-reading of the story is that Santos's bio is a lot of half-truths, as opposed to outright fabrications, and that the Times is walking into accusations of a "hit piece" by focusing on fairly narrow, technical facts that the inevitable rebuttal will say are misleading.
My guess is that he attended Baruch for a while, and if FERPA regs prohibit them from speaking to that (as they probably do) it should be mentioned in the story.
Similarly, it seems more relevant to investigate whether Friends of Pets United really existed and ever did anything, rather than whether he was too dumb to get a 501(c)(3).
Baruch College also produced Michael Grimm, the U.S. Rep from Staten Island who pled guilty to tax fraud (but only after running for re-election and winning.) And Martin Shkreli. So another Republican who is full of shit AND studied at that particular CUNY branch would actually be very on-brand.
posted by anhedonic at 11:45 AM on December 19, 2022 [5 favorites]
My gut-reading of the story is that Santos's bio is a lot of half-truths, as opposed to outright fabrications, and that the Times is walking into accusations of a "hit piece" by focusing on fairly narrow, technical facts that the inevitable rebuttal will say are misleading.
My guess is that he attended Baruch for a while, and if FERPA regs prohibit them from speaking to that (as they probably do) it should be mentioned in the story.
Similarly, it seems more relevant to investigate whether Friends of Pets United really existed and ever did anything, rather than whether he was too dumb to get a 501(c)(3).
Baruch College also produced Michael Grimm, the U.S. Rep from Staten Island who pled guilty to tax fraud (but only after running for re-election and winning.) And Martin Shkreli. So another Republican who is full of shit AND studied at that particular CUNY branch would actually be very on-brand.
posted by anhedonic at 11:45 AM on December 19, 2022 [5 favorites]
anhedonic: Thank you! I understand a lot better now.
posted by brainwane at 11:50 AM on December 19, 2022
posted by brainwane at 11:50 AM on December 19, 2022
uncleozzy has it: this is just the (so far) most noteworthy of failures of the NY Democratic Party to do fuck-all in these mid-terms. Everything that happens as a result of the current GOP House majority ultimately rests at the feet of those fuckers.
Hey, it's not fair to say they did nothing. Just, uh, none of what they did was good.
Maintaining control of Congress? Feuding with local progressives and socialists? Who's really to say what's more important, I guess.
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 11:52 AM on December 19, 2022 [9 favorites]
Hey, it's not fair to say they did nothing. Just, uh, none of what they did was good.
Maintaining control of Congress? Feuding with local progressives and socialists? Who's really to say what's more important, I guess.
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 11:52 AM on December 19, 2022 [9 favorites]
does this mean there was an openly-gay Republican incumbent who won a House seat?
Steve Gunderson (R-WI) was re-elected after Bob Dornan (R-CA) outed him on the House floor during a debate over gay-friendly school curricula.
posted by box at 11:54 AM on December 19, 2022 [10 favorites]
Steve Gunderson (R-WI) was re-elected after Bob Dornan (R-CA) outed him on the House floor during a debate over gay-friendly school curricula.
posted by box at 11:54 AM on December 19, 2022 [10 favorites]
here's a gift link to a WaPo story on the Times piece. part of it covers how both Zimmerman and the DCCC missed all of this stuff, despite the candidate paying $22,000 to something called "Deep Dive Political Research" for "research consulting."
I think I've found myself a new second career.
posted by martin q blank at 11:54 AM on December 19, 2022 [5 favorites]
I think I've found myself a new second career.
posted by martin q blank at 11:54 AM on December 19, 2022 [5 favorites]
Baruch does not grant a degree in "economics and finance." The department is shared, but the degree is either BBA in Finance and Investments, or BBA in Economics. That jumped out at me immediately, in the "someone is bullshitting this" way.
On a resume I once listed my English degree as a BA in creative writing.
posted by slogger at 12:15 PM on December 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
On a resume I once listed my English degree as a BA in creative writing.
posted by slogger at 12:15 PM on December 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
chavenet, besides Gunderson, there was Jim Kolbe (June 28, 1942 – December 3, 2022), of Arizona. In 1996, Kolbe disclosed he was gay after he voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act; he was under threat of being outed, and he won re-election that year. Kolbe did not seek a 12th term in 2006, and married his partner, Hector Alfonso, in 2013.
The contest in New York marked the first time two openly gay congressional candidates had gone head to head in a general election.
Santos attended the Jan. 6 rally, and said Trump was at his “full awesomeness that day,” in an interview with former President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump.
Though the Census Bureau delayed releasing the numbers states needed for the redistricting process until September, California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia lost congressional seats ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. New York went from 27 to 26 seats.
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:21 PM on December 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
The contest in New York marked the first time two openly gay congressional candidates had gone head to head in a general election.
Santos attended the Jan. 6 rally, and said Trump was at his “full awesomeness that day,” in an interview with former President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump.
Though the Census Bureau delayed releasing the numbers states needed for the redistricting process until September, California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia lost congressional seats ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. New York went from 27 to 26 seats.
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:21 PM on December 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
On a resume I once listed my English degree as a BA in creative writing.
Writing a resume is the pinnacle creative writing, so I'll give that one to you.
posted by 445supermag at 12:46 PM on December 19, 2022 [6 favorites]
Writing a resume is the pinnacle creative writing, so I'll give that one to you.
posted by 445supermag at 12:46 PM on December 19, 2022 [6 favorites]
Statement from the Santos Campaign. Note the lack of denial or explanation:
Statement from George Santos' attorney- Joseph Murray Esq.posted by General Malaise at 2:16 PM on December 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
George Santos represents the kind of progress that the Left is so threatened by - a gay, Latino, first generation American and Republican who won a Biden district in overwhelming fashion by showing everyday voters that there is a better option than the broken promises and failed policies of the Democratic Party. After four years in the public eye, and on the verge of being sworn in as a member of the Republican led 118th Congress, the New York Times launches this shotgun blast of attacks. It is no surprise that Congressman-elect Santos has enemies at the New York Times who are attempting to smear his good name with these defamatory allegations. As Winston Churchill famously stated, "You have enemies? Good. It means that you've stood up for something, sometime in your
life.
- Joseph Murray Esq.
I didn't realize it growing up there but Long Island is really conservative. Concern over this is not coming from his home base.
posted by tommasz at 2:21 PM on December 19, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by tommasz at 2:21 PM on December 19, 2022 [4 favorites]
Interesting that the lawyer is willing to use the word "defamatory" but not the more straightforward "false".
posted by Not A Thing at 3:18 PM on December 19, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by Not A Thing at 3:18 PM on December 19, 2022 [8 favorites]
NY-03 has the deepest pockets of any congressional district in the state: 30.4% of households with incomes of $200K or more
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:35 PM on December 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:35 PM on December 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
Interesting that the lawyer isn't actually denying anything in the reporting. Like the rest of us, he just seems to want to know why they didn't publish this stuff before the election.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:39 PM on December 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by hydropsyche at 3:39 PM on December 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
Guys guys guys can any of you confirm or deny that the statement from the Santos campaign contains a FAKE CHURCHILL QUOTE THAT ACTUALLY CAME FROM A D&D MANUAL???
posted by saladin at 4:01 PM on December 19, 2022 [16 favorites]
posted by saladin at 4:01 PM on December 19, 2022 [16 favorites]
Politifact wants to involve Victor Hugo; JK Rowling tweeted the same quote w/ Churchill attribution in January 2017, so something's definitely off
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:11 PM on December 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:11 PM on December 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
That lawyer's statement is doing a beautiful textbook job of pounding the table.
posted by automatronic at 6:06 PM on December 19, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by automatronic at 6:06 PM on December 19, 2022 [8 favorites]
My gut-reading of the story is that Santos's bio is a lot of half-truths, as opposed to outright fabrications, and that the Times is walking into accusations of a "hit piece" by focusing on fairly narrow, technical facts that the inevitable rebuttal will say are misleading.
That's certainly possible and goodness knows we should be always be responsibly skeptical about this kind of piece, but by my reading the NYT's case is pretty airtight. The several financial firms that "have no record of [Santos] ever working there," the statement that "Police and court records show that Mr. Santos used the checkbook to make fraudulent purchases, including a pair of shoes. Two years later, Mr. Santos confessed to the crime and was later charged," the "N.Y.U. spokesman [who] found no attendance records matching his name and birth date," the statement from a purported beneficiary of Santos' nonprofit that "the event’s beneficiary, who asked for anonymity for fear of retribution, said that she never received any of the funds, with Mr. Santos only offering repeated excuses for not forwarding the money," - this all seems quite clearly written and sufficient enough that the journalists had no need to rely on misleading technicalities like using the claim that "no one by that name graduated that year" to cover up the truth that Santos attended Baruch but just didn't graduate. On top of the (to my eyes) clearly written and decisive statements I quoted above, there's a mountain of other facts that may not each be a total slam dunk on their own, but taken together seem to paint a pretty convincing picture of a complete, not balf-baked, fraud.
Also quite damning, of course, is Santos' failure to refute any of the allegations in the piece, which should be quite easy to do if it were truly a misleading hit job.
NB While I am often VERY critical of NYC reporting, I do truly believe the paper employs real journalists who strive to adhere to transparent standards and aren't out to mislead the public. I admit if this came out in InfoWars or the Palmer Report or something I wouldn't be so credulous, but...
posted by exutima at 6:11 PM on December 19, 2022 [8 favorites]
That's certainly possible and goodness knows we should be always be responsibly skeptical about this kind of piece, but by my reading the NYT's case is pretty airtight. The several financial firms that "have no record of [Santos] ever working there," the statement that "Police and court records show that Mr. Santos used the checkbook to make fraudulent purchases, including a pair of shoes. Two years later, Mr. Santos confessed to the crime and was later charged," the "N.Y.U. spokesman [who] found no attendance records matching his name and birth date," the statement from a purported beneficiary of Santos' nonprofit that "the event’s beneficiary, who asked for anonymity for fear of retribution, said that she never received any of the funds, with Mr. Santos only offering repeated excuses for not forwarding the money," - this all seems quite clearly written and sufficient enough that the journalists had no need to rely on misleading technicalities like using the claim that "no one by that name graduated that year" to cover up the truth that Santos attended Baruch but just didn't graduate. On top of the (to my eyes) clearly written and decisive statements I quoted above, there's a mountain of other facts that may not each be a total slam dunk on their own, but taken together seem to paint a pretty convincing picture of a complete, not balf-baked, fraud.
Also quite damning, of course, is Santos' failure to refute any of the allegations in the piece, which should be quite easy to do if it were truly a misleading hit job.
NB While I am often VERY critical of NYC reporting, I do truly believe the paper employs real journalists who strive to adhere to transparent standards and aren't out to mislead the public. I admit if this came out in InfoWars or the Palmer Report or something I wouldn't be so credulous, but...
posted by exutima at 6:11 PM on December 19, 2022 [8 favorites]
The NYT has been consistent on the political front:
I don’t conflate the columnists with the reporters in this way.
And based on the number of people saying the NY Dems actually are in disarray, that’s not the Times’s fault.
If you DID conflate the columnists with the reporters in this way, you'd still find plenty of truth in it.
Lots of reasons to be critical of the NY Dems, here, sure. I'm also sure the fine people at the Gray Lady had nothing at all to do with the politics there. You will read about that disarray, not just locally, but nationally in the political/opinion pages of the NYT.
I mean, since 2015, I've never heard so many synonyms for the word, "Lies," without actually reading the word, "Lies." They're really good at talking around politics over there...
posted by Chuffy at 7:23 PM on December 19, 2022 [4 favorites]
I don’t conflate the columnists with the reporters in this way.
And based on the number of people saying the NY Dems actually are in disarray, that’s not the Times’s fault.
If you DID conflate the columnists with the reporters in this way, you'd still find plenty of truth in it.
Lots of reasons to be critical of the NY Dems, here, sure. I'm also sure the fine people at the Gray Lady had nothing at all to do with the politics there. You will read about that disarray, not just locally, but nationally in the political/opinion pages of the NYT.
I mean, since 2015, I've never heard so many synonyms for the word, "Lies," without actually reading the word, "Lies." They're really good at talking around politics over there...
posted by Chuffy at 7:23 PM on December 19, 2022 [4 favorites]
...But this district was eminently winnable, and NY Dems didn't even try.
posted by uncleozzy
Agreed. I live in what was the Third District until the disaster of redistricting happened and what was Suozzi's district moved west. (I'm now represented by another Republican, who doesn't live in the district). As someone who runs a local news site, I got a fair amount of emails from Zimmerman's campaign until I finally shouted at them to stop because they were wasting my time.
]
I could not for the life of me figure out how Santos won, though I agree that $700,000 is very mysterious. Until the NYTimes story, I thought Santos was just a bit weird and not smart. He sued the NYT a year ago, claiming they'd defamed him by linking--just linking--to a photo he posted of himself with his boyfriend on a visit to Mar a Lago. Somehow blamed the NYT for his boyfriend allegedly losing his pharmacy job because the NYT outed him.
Uncleozzy, did you ever see a good breakdown of whether Zimmerman just blew Nassau County or was there something going on with Queens that no one expected?
posted by etaoin at 11:04 PM on December 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy
Agreed. I live in what was the Third District until the disaster of redistricting happened and what was Suozzi's district moved west. (I'm now represented by another Republican, who doesn't live in the district). As someone who runs a local news site, I got a fair amount of emails from Zimmerman's campaign until I finally shouted at them to stop because they were wasting my time.
]
I could not for the life of me figure out how Santos won, though I agree that $700,000 is very mysterious. Until the NYTimes story, I thought Santos was just a bit weird and not smart. He sued the NYT a year ago, claiming they'd defamed him by linking--just linking--to a photo he posted of himself with his boyfriend on a visit to Mar a Lago. Somehow blamed the NYT for his boyfriend allegedly losing his pharmacy job because the NYT outed him.
Uncleozzy, did you ever see a good breakdown of whether Zimmerman just blew Nassau County or was there something going on with Queens that no one expected?
posted by etaoin at 11:04 PM on December 19, 2022 [2 favorites]
box & Iris Gambol: many thanks to you both for the info about Gunderson and Kolbe. Did not know about either one, and found the elocution on George Santos' "first" so tortured that I wondered what was up.
posted by chavenet at 1:10 AM on December 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by chavenet at 1:10 AM on December 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Statement from the Santos Campaign. Note the lack of denial or explanation
No news source should quote that statement. Instead, they should note that "In a statement, the Santos campaign did not deny the allegations."
posted by Gelatin at 4:24 AM on December 20, 2022 [12 favorites]
No news source should quote that statement. Instead, they should note that "In a statement, the Santos campaign did not deny the allegations."
posted by Gelatin at 4:24 AM on December 20, 2022 [12 favorites]
Uncleozzy, did you ever see a good breakdown of whether Zimmerman just blew Nassau County or was there something going on with Queens that no one expected?
No idea, honestly. But given that the entire campaign was about ~~sCaRy cRiMe~~ and the Dems and media continually validated the false narrative...
posted by uncleozzy at 6:23 AM on December 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
No idea, honestly. But given that the entire campaign was about ~~sCaRy cRiMe~~ and the Dems and media continually validated the false narrative...
posted by uncleozzy at 6:23 AM on December 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
and the Dems and media continually validated the false narrative...
Or maybe just the media...the Dems don't control the media narrative, the Republicans do.
posted by Chuffy at 8:27 AM on December 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Or maybe just the media...the Dems don't control the media narrative, the Republicans do.
posted by Chuffy at 8:27 AM on December 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
There’s plenty of blame to go around but is it ever incumbent upon the NY Repubs to vet their own candidates? Of course, MTG, Bobert et al is proof they have a very low bar but this guy is such a fraud, he wouldn’t pass the most cursory check.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 9:23 AM on December 20, 2022
posted by TWinbrook8 at 9:23 AM on December 20, 2022
Interesting members-only post at TPM, making the point that although there is a lot of smoke and mirrors that might not amount to much (even if the lies are proven, nothing happens), there is a clearly documented loan of $700,000 from Santos to his own 2022 campaign. It is very hard for this money to be fake. How Santos had this much money to throw around is unclear. This is the thread that Josh Marshall thinks will lead to unraveling the whole situation - follow the money.
posted by allegedly at 9:51 AM on December 20, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by allegedly at 9:51 AM on December 20, 2022 [6 favorites]
Congressman-elect George Santos campaigned as a Jewish Republican. Was he lying? (from Jewish Telegraphic Agency, a source I'm not familiar with.
Was he lying about his Jewish background? As with so much else in his personal narrative, there’s little to suggest truth beyond his own past comments.posted by Nelson at 10:13 AM on December 21, 2022 [3 favorites]
Congressman-elect George Santos lied about grandparents fleeing anti-Jewish persecution during WWII (The Forward, Dec. 21, 2022) Genealogy websites show his mother’s parents were born in Brazil, not Ukraine or Belgium, as his campaign website stated
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:22 PM on December 21, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:22 PM on December 21, 2022 [3 favorites]
‘Openly Gay’ Rep.-Elect George Santos Didn’t Disclose Divorce With Woman. With some extra commentary in LGBTQNation.
It’s entirely possible that Santos, who claims he has “never experienced discrimination in the Republican Party,” has been living comfortably as an openly gay man for, as he says, more than a decade. People get married for countless reasons. But Santos’ situation is curious because he never disclosed his divorce to voters, and never reconciled his prior marriage to a woman—which ended just 12 days before he established his first congressional campaign—with his claims of being an out and proud gay Republican.posted by Nelson at 7:34 AM on December 22, 2022 [6 favorites]
NYTimes today has an op-ed column (archive link) written by a Democratic Party opposition researcher (not on this race) in response to the Times piece. Vaguely interesting on process, but still basically says, the DCCC had almost all of this, they just didn't present it well. Hand-wavey on the most telling stuff (lies about employment and colleges). But anyway, there it is for your perusal.
posted by martin q blank at 12:59 PM on December 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by martin q blank at 12:59 PM on December 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
NBC News: "N.Y. Attorney General's Office 'looking into' allegations against George Santos"
posted by jedicus at 1:37 PM on December 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by jedicus at 1:37 PM on December 22, 2022 [2 favorites]
That op/ed about opposition research is a really great read, thank you for sharing it. Everyone who has heard this story has been surprised more info didn't come out sooner. The editorial does a good job explaining why not. Long story short: oppo teams aren't as well funded or thorough as you might think.
posted by Nelson at 5:24 PM on December 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Nelson at 5:24 PM on December 22, 2022 [1 favorite]
Long story short: oppo teams aren't as well funded or thorough as you might think.
As I have mentioned here before, I worked on a campaign a few years back that collapsed when it came to light that our candidate had been lying to everyone -- including their spouse -- about a three-year chunk of their life. How did it come to light? Someone on our team googled the candidate's name and went to the fourth page of results.
posted by Etrigan at 7:44 PM on December 22, 2022 [9 favorites]
As I have mentioned here before, I worked on a campaign a few years back that collapsed when it came to light that our candidate had been lying to everyone -- including their spouse -- about a three-year chunk of their life. How did it come to light? Someone on our team googled the candidate's name and went to the fourth page of results.
posted by Etrigan at 7:44 PM on December 22, 2022 [9 favorites]
Political campaigns, even at the congressional level, run on a shoestring. Most of the money—the millions—raised and spent gets flushed down the tv & internet advertising hole. The people staffing the campaigns are usually pretty inexperienced, and the higher-ups aren’t that much older. The entry barriers for the business are pretty low.
Subsequently, the decisions that people make—what to emphasize, how to get the message out, what matters, what can be ignored—can be pretty shoddy. Things are moving very fast, and piles and piles of stuff are left in a campaign’s wake.
The Zimmerman people & the DCCC had the goods, supposedly, on Santos, but the message did not get out there.
The whole raft of NYS congressional races went poorly. Most people seemed obsessed with crime. Even D’s I know were on and on about how they would not go to the City any more. All supposedly because of bail reform, which was one of the best things that happened in state law in decades. Not that a junior member of congress would be able to do anything about State Law where the D’s have supermajorities in both chambers in Albany.
The R’s ran on FUD, and the D’s, despite their very good record, did nothing to counter it. And so we get low information voters from NYS tipping congress. What a mess.
posted by nothing.especially.clever at 5:59 AM on December 23, 2022 [6 favorites]
Subsequently, the decisions that people make—what to emphasize, how to get the message out, what matters, what can be ignored—can be pretty shoddy. Things are moving very fast, and piles and piles of stuff are left in a campaign’s wake.
The Zimmerman people & the DCCC had the goods, supposedly, on Santos, but the message did not get out there.
The whole raft of NYS congressional races went poorly. Most people seemed obsessed with crime. Even D’s I know were on and on about how they would not go to the City any more. All supposedly because of bail reform, which was one of the best things that happened in state law in decades. Not that a junior member of congress would be able to do anything about State Law where the D’s have supermajorities in both chambers in Albany.
The R’s ran on FUD, and the D’s, despite their very good record, did nothing to counter it. And so we get low information voters from NYS tipping congress. What a mess.
posted by nothing.especially.clever at 5:59 AM on December 23, 2022 [6 favorites]
(Politico has a now very familiar story about Santos where somebody outside a dollar store could give a shit.)
posted by box at 7:02 AM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by box at 7:02 AM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
NYTimes making up for lost time: George Santos’s Early Life: Odd Jobs, Bad Debts and Lawsuits. It's a typical story of a 20something having trouble making rent and working customer service jobs. No surprise except it's so at odds with the life story he's told people. They credit Patch with publishing the story first.
The article mentions a boyfriend in 2014, so maybe of all the things he's lied about being gay isn't one of them. No new information on his wife but I imagine that story will come out. I appreciated that yesterday's Daily Beast made a point of saying "people get married for countless reasons" but I am curious to know more. It'll be interesting if it turns out to be immigration related.
posted by Nelson at 7:37 AM on December 23, 2022
The article mentions a boyfriend in 2014, so maybe of all the things he's lied about being gay isn't one of them. No new information on his wife but I imagine that story will come out. I appreciated that yesterday's Daily Beast made a point of saying "people get married for countless reasons" but I am curious to know more. It'll be interesting if it turns out to be immigration related.
posted by Nelson at 7:37 AM on December 23, 2022
He says he'll have an explanation in a week, guys! Hopefully it does not involve a "classified" designation.
posted by Selena777 at 1:09 PM on December 23, 2022
posted by Selena777 at 1:09 PM on December 23, 2022
Is this person implying that it should be our responsibility to vet their candidates?
"Too bad for Democrats. Should have figured this all out beforehand. He will have committee assignments.”
posted by Selena777 at 12:28 PM on December 24, 2022
"Too bad for Democrats. Should have figured this all out beforehand. He will have committee assignments.”
posted by Selena777 at 12:28 PM on December 24, 2022
The article mentions a boyfriend in 2014, so maybe of all the things he's lied about being gay isn't one of them. No new information on his wife but I imagine that story will come out. I appreciated that yesterday's Daily Beast made a point of saying "people get married for countless reasons" but I am curious to know more
My money is on something sketchy (since everything about this guy is sketch), like a paid green card marriage or something else that is somewhere on the spectrum between unethical to illegal.
posted by Dip Flash at 4:23 PM on December 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
My money is on something sketchy (since everything about this guy is sketch), like a paid green card marriage or something else that is somewhere on the spectrum between unethical to illegal.
posted by Dip Flash at 4:23 PM on December 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
Liar Rep.-elect George Santos admits fabricating key details of his bio
posted by Selena777 at 3:34 PM on December 26, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Selena777 at 3:34 PM on December 26, 2022 [2 favorites]
CNN’s KFile also reported last week that claims by Santos that his grandparents “survived the Holocaust” as Ukrainian Jewish refugees from Belgium who changed their surname are contradicted by sources including family trees compiled by genealogy websites, records on Jewish refugees and interviews with multiple genealogists. A lawyer for Santos had declined to comment to CNN.
“I never claimed to be Jewish,” Santos told the Post. “I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’”
I didn’t say I was Jewish, I said I was Jew-ish? I… I’m speechless. Like I literally sat here opening and closing my mouth like a fish when I read that. This guy is a whole cartoon villain. He just needs a mustache to twirl.
posted by Ruki at 5:45 PM on December 26, 2022 [6 favorites]
“I never claimed to be Jewish,” Santos told the Post. “I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’”
I didn’t say I was Jewish, I said I was Jew-ish? I… I’m speechless. Like I literally sat here opening and closing my mouth like a fish when I read that. This guy is a whole cartoon villain. He just needs a mustache to twirl.
posted by Ruki at 5:45 PM on December 26, 2022 [6 favorites]
He also said 'I'm not a criminal,' which might be news to the people who charged him with elder fraud and check forgery in Brazil, referred to his six-month stint as a customer-service agent as a 'blue-collar' job, and blamed the New York Times for making him 'embellish his resume.'
Candidate quality.
posted by box at 8:50 AM on December 27, 2022 [4 favorites]
Candidate quality.
posted by box at 8:50 AM on December 27, 2022 [4 favorites]
"George, if that’s even your real name, if you’re so convinced that #NY3 voters still trust you - resign & run against me again in a special election. Face the voters with your real past & answer questions about your criminal history. Let the voters decide" - Robert Zimmerman (honored by the LGBTQ Network of LI and Queens and the Long Island Progressive Coalition, in addition to serving as president of Great Neck B’nai B’rith and the American Jewish Congress Long Island Division) via Twitter earlier today
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:18 PM on December 27, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:18 PM on December 27, 2022 [4 favorites]
On Dec. 20 (the day after the NYT story/this FPP), Santos re-activated the Devolder Organization LLC in Florida, and he's the registered agent. For an individual to be a registered agent, they must reside in Florida and have a business address identical to the address of the registered office.
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:48 PM on December 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:48 PM on December 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Tulsi Gabbard tears into George Santos during Fox interview: ‘Do you have no shame?’ (Yahoo News/The Hill reprint; Gabbard was filling in for Tucker Carlson last night) “My heritage is Jewish. I’ve always identified as Jewish. I was raised as a practicing Catholic,” Santos said. “Not being raised a practicing Jew, I’ve always joked with friends and circles, even within the campaign, I’d say, guys, I’m ‘Jew-ish.’ Remember, I was raised Catholic.”
Santos used to say he was born in Brazil, per a former co-worker at Dish Network.
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:42 PM on December 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
Santos used to say he was born in Brazil, per a former co-worker at Dish Network.
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:42 PM on December 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
Now the county DA has announced an investigation.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:06 PM on December 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Dip Flash at 5:06 PM on December 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
Feds are looking into his financing.
posted by Mitheral at 5:36 PM on December 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
CBS News sources say prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York are looking into his finances, including financial disclosure filings in the wake of Santos' own public admissions to lying about his resume, background and other information.This could get good depending on how sloppy Santos campaign was and who else his benefactors funded.
posted by Mitheral at 5:36 PM on December 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
According to Twitter, Santos has claimed that his mother was killed on 9/11, and that she died in 2016. Oh, and apparently he said she was an executive but his high school buddies say she was a housecleaner.
I'm beginning to think his name is neither George nor Santos...
posted by suelac at 8:41 PM on December 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm beginning to think his name is neither George nor Santos...
posted by suelac at 8:41 PM on December 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
CBS News, Dec. 24: His campaign website paints a picture of success: "George's work ethic comes from his mother, who came from nothing, but worked her way up to be the first female executive at a major financial institution. On September 11, 2001, George's mother was in her office in the South Tower. She survived the horrific events of that day, but unfortunately passed away a few years later." [Where "a few years" means 15 years; when Santos was forging checks in Brazil in the aughts, his mom was working as a home healthcare nurse and his victims were elderly patients in her care.]
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:17 PM on December 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:17 PM on December 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'm willing to bet my asshole neighbors are thrilled this guy is a fraud. One more way to stick it to the Dems.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:43 AM on December 29, 2022
posted by uncleozzy at 5:43 AM on December 29, 2022
Twitter has receipts too. This is George Santos
posted by Nelson at 8:34 AM on December 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
9/11 claimed my mothers life… so I’m blocking so I don’t ever have to read this again. - July 2021Also George Santos
December 23rd this year marks 5 years I lost my best friend and mentor. Mom you will live forever in my heart. - Dec 2021Right there in public on Twitter. And no one noticed it at the time, at least not enough to get attention.
posted by Nelson at 8:34 AM on December 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Lot of new stories now that New York journalists are finally paying attention to New York's newest congressman. To be fair, one did before the election: the North Shore Leader, a local Long Island outfit which had an article about Santos's shady financing in September but was ignored. The Washington Post talks about what a shame it is that reporting was ignored.
The NYTimes dug into campaign finance records and found a bunch of shady looking things including him paying his own rent with campaign money (illegal) and a bunch of unreported $199.99 Uber rides (maybe legal, because $200 is the reporting limit).
I've seen no followup reporting on his ex-wife.
posted by Nelson at 7:19 AM on December 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
The NYTimes dug into campaign finance records and found a bunch of shady looking things including him paying his own rent with campaign money (illegal) and a bunch of unreported $199.99 Uber rides (maybe legal, because $200 is the reporting limit).
I've seen no followup reporting on his ex-wife.
posted by Nelson at 7:19 AM on December 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
Has anyone seen his husband? A legal record of the marriage has not been found and he's been living with his sister.
posted by Selena777 at 8:22 AM on December 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Selena777 at 8:22 AM on December 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
I've seen no articles calling doubt on his husband, but then I've seen little reporting about the husband either. Do you have a citation about "A legal record of the marriage has not been found"?
FWIW today's NYT article says
My read on this is that it's possible they are not formally married but that the boyfriend / partner / husband really exists.
posted by Nelson at 8:44 AM on December 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
FWIW today's NYT article says
But one neighbor said Mr. Santos himself had been living there for months, and two others said that they had seen Mr. Santos and his husband coming and going, a possible violation of the rule prohibiting the use of campaign funds for personal expenses.Last week's article says
The house’s owner, Nancy Pothos, said that Mr. Santos and his now-husband had moved there in July 2020. The couple rented the two-bedroom, two-floor apartment for $2,600 a month, she said, while Ms. Pothos lived below.So there's a few people who've met someone they think is Santos' husband. OTOH it also says
Mr. Santos has referred to his husband only by his first name, Matt, and it is unclear when they married. Piauí, a Brazilian magazine, interviewed Mr. Santos in November 2020 and named him as Matheus Gerard.A translation of the husband part of the Brazilian article:
The quasi-deputy lives with his partner, Matheus Gerard, also a Brazilian, 24 years old, a pharmacist born in Pelotas, in Rio Grande Sul. The couple lives in Whitestone, an upper-middle-class neighborhood in Queens, with four other Golden Retriever dogs, Morkie (a mix of Yorkshire and Malta) and Papillon (dwarf Spaniel). “All of them were rescued”, stresses Santos. The duo intended to get married in April of this year, but the pandemic caused the plans to be postponed. They must exchange rings in April 2021.The Portuguese word translated "partner" is "companheiro". I don't know gay Brazilian Portuguese so can't parse any subtle meaning implied in that.
My read on this is that it's possible they are not formally married but that the boyfriend / partner / husband really exists.
posted by Nelson at 8:44 AM on December 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Anybody else feeling skeptical about all four very fashionable breed dogs being rescues?
posted by box at 10:52 AM on December 30, 2022
posted by box at 10:52 AM on December 30, 2022
I feel like every new detail pushes this a little further into “probably pathological” territory.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:35 PM on December 30, 2022
posted by uncleozzy at 5:35 PM on December 30, 2022
I feel like every new detail pushes this a little further into “probably pathological” territory.
He's clearly got some kind of compulsion with lying. So many of the (false) details that keep coming out were completely needless, versus the things that actually might have helped him out (like claiming to have worked at finance firms). The real question is whether he was also doing things that were illegal, like running a Ponzi scheme or pocketing campaign money --that there was illegality seems nearly certain to me, but no one has found that smoking gun quite yet.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:20 PM on December 30, 2022
He's clearly got some kind of compulsion with lying. So many of the (false) details that keep coming out were completely needless, versus the things that actually might have helped him out (like claiming to have worked at finance firms). The real question is whether he was also doing things that were illegal, like running a Ponzi scheme or pocketing campaign money --that there was illegality seems nearly certain to me, but no one has found that smoking gun quite yet.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:20 PM on December 30, 2022
Mother Jones has a few Santos articles; this one, from Dec. 21, delves into his Harbor City Capital involvement and the Devolder fund. The article links to a press release Harbor City put out in July 2020, when Santos [as "George Devolder"] joined the company as New York Regional Director. The fake resume is repeated, and bolstered:
"I've known Mr. Devolder for several years professionally, and have always had a lot of respect for how he conducts himself in business," says JP Maroney, Harbor City Capital Founder and CEO. "When we had the opportunity to welcome him to our team I was delighted. He's a perfect fit."
MJ also links to a June 2020 snapshot of the Santos campaign site from his first Congressional bid; George is described as managing assets for the Devolder organization at that time, and there are more probable-whoppers about his family's altruism in Brazil, NY, and around the world [sample: He and his family also engaged in helping children with EB (Epidermolysis Bullosa). Through various nonprofit organizations across the country supporting children worldwide, they have been proud financers of organizations that help these children in remote parts of the world where they are denied basic hygiene to care for their wounds]. George himself "is an avid reader and enjoys books ranging from science fiction to autobiographies." (And mash-ups.) (Or he's half a set of twins, and one twin's a serial killer.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 8:44 PM on December 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
"I've known Mr. Devolder for several years professionally, and have always had a lot of respect for how he conducts himself in business," says JP Maroney, Harbor City Capital Founder and CEO. "When we had the opportunity to welcome him to our team I was delighted. He's a perfect fit."
MJ also links to a June 2020 snapshot of the Santos campaign site from his first Congressional bid; George is described as managing assets for the Devolder organization at that time, and there are more probable-whoppers about his family's altruism in Brazil, NY, and around the world [sample: He and his family also engaged in helping children with EB (Epidermolysis Bullosa). Through various nonprofit organizations across the country supporting children worldwide, they have been proud financers of organizations that help these children in remote parts of the world where they are denied basic hygiene to care for their wounds]. George himself "is an avid reader and enjoys books ranging from science fiction to autobiographies." (And mash-ups.) (Or he's half a set of twins, and one twin's a serial killer.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 8:44 PM on December 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
More "mythmaking" in this article: Santos’ friends and former roommates recalled [Fatima Devolder, George's mother] as a hardworking, friendly woman who spoke only Portuguese and made her living cleaning homes and selling food. None of those interviewed by the Times could recall any instance of her working in finance, and several chalked the story up to Santos’ tendency for mythmaking.
One who was close to Santos was Pedro Vilarva. Vilarva met Santos in 2014, when he was 18 and Santos was 26. Vilarva found him charming and sweet. They dated for a few months before Santos suggested they move in together. Vilarva said he felt on top of the world — even if he said he did find himself footing many of the bills. [...]
"He never ever actually went to work,” [Vilarva] said. Things began to unravel between the two men in early 2015, Vilarva said, after Santos surprised him with tickets to Hawaii that turned out not to exist. Around the same time, he said he discovered that his cellphone was missing, and believed Santos had pawned it. The betrayal prompted him to plug Santos’ name into a search engine, where he found that Santos was wanted by Brazilian police.“I woke up in the morning, and I packed my stuff all in trash bags, and I called my father and I left,” he said.
(NYT; "Teen Romanced by George Santos: He Lied to Me, Too" at The Daily Beast, which notes Santos was married during this relationship; via Yahoo links)
Missed one: Congressman-elect George Santos set to be sworn in Tuesday (CBS, Jan. 2, 2023, 12:47 pm Eastern)
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:07 AM on January 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
One who was close to Santos was Pedro Vilarva. Vilarva met Santos in 2014, when he was 18 and Santos was 26. Vilarva found him charming and sweet. They dated for a few months before Santos suggested they move in together. Vilarva said he felt on top of the world — even if he said he did find himself footing many of the bills. [...]
"He never ever actually went to work,” [Vilarva] said. Things began to unravel between the two men in early 2015, Vilarva said, after Santos surprised him with tickets to Hawaii that turned out not to exist. Around the same time, he said he discovered that his cellphone was missing, and believed Santos had pawned it. The betrayal prompted him to plug Santos’ name into a search engine, where he found that Santos was wanted by Brazilian police.“I woke up in the morning, and I packed my stuff all in trash bags, and I called my father and I left,” he said.
(NYT; "Teen Romanced by George Santos: He Lied to Me, Too" at The Daily Beast, which notes Santos was married during this relationship; via Yahoo links)
Missed one: Congressman-elect George Santos set to be sworn in Tuesday (CBS, Jan. 2, 2023, 12:47 pm Eastern)
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:07 AM on January 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
Brazil is resurrecting those old fraud charges that he skipped out on.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:28 PM on January 2, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Dip Flash at 7:28 PM on January 2, 2023 [4 favorites]
George Santos, the subject of county, state and federal investigations into his campaign finances, appeared briefly outside a hallway leading to his office, but turned away upon seeing reporters stationed outside his door.
[grandpa_simpson_walking_in_and_out.gif]
posted by uncleozzy at 8:21 AM on January 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
[grandpa_simpson_walking_in_and_out.gif]
posted by uncleozzy at 8:21 AM on January 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
The Rio de Janeiro prosecutor’s office said the case, which dates to 2008, had been suspended because officials could not find an address for Santos, but that his election to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District paved the way for them to locate him.
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:51 AM on January 3, 2023
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:51 AM on January 3, 2023
... one Republican familiar with the discussions said Santos has told New York party leaders that he won’t seek reelection after this term (Politico, Dec. 28, 2022) Santos has found a defender in (anti-gay, anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic, and so on) Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:08 AM on January 3, 2023
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:08 AM on January 3, 2023
George Santos Says His Mom Died Of 9/11-Related Illness. Advocates Say He’s Lying (Rolling Stone, Dec. 29, 2022) Santos has repeatedly claimed that his mother, who died of cancer in 2016, was a 9/11 survivor who was “in her office in the South Tower on September 11, 2001,” and “passed away a few years later when she lost her battle to cancer.” At one point he claimed that both of his parents had been in the towers the day of the attack. In a 2021 tweet, Santos repeated the assertion, stating that “9/11 claimed my mothers life.”
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:14 AM on January 3, 2023
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:14 AM on January 3, 2023
(She died in 2016.)
Maybe it's just me, but it seems like lying about September 11 is not something that will win you a lot of points from the voters of Long Island.
posted by box at 10:24 AM on January 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
Maybe it's just me, but it seems like lying about September 11 is not something that will win you a lot of points from the voters of Long Island.
posted by box at 10:24 AM on January 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
This video of admitted liar Rep. George Santos may be the saddest part of today’s GOP political drama. Highlighting a video clip of Santos sitting alone in the House chamber. Apparently he's not popular on the floor. A Twitter reply highlights Santos picking his nose.
posted by Nelson at 2:56 PM on January 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Nelson at 2:56 PM on January 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
No reps sworn in.
"Congress can’t really function until it has a House speaker; the position is filled on the first day of a new Congress, Jan. 3, even before members-elect take the oath of office."
(Three rounds of voting, and no House speaker; "it's been 100 years since the House took more than a single ballot to elect a speaker.")
"The House has adjourned until noon ET on Wednesday." (CNN, Rolling Stone)
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:36 PM on January 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
"Congress can’t really function until it has a House speaker; the position is filled on the first day of a new Congress, Jan. 3, even before members-elect take the oath of office."
(Three rounds of voting, and no House speaker; "it's been 100 years since the House took more than a single ballot to elect a speaker.")
"The House has adjourned until noon ET on Wednesday." (CNN, Rolling Stone)
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:36 PM on January 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
Obstructionist party obstructs itself.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 3:54 PM on January 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by ActingTheGoat at 3:54 PM on January 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
George Santos Came to Washington. It Was Awkward.
Wearing a backpack and staring at his phone as he walked with two aides beside him, Mr. Santos, 34, gave off the aura of an overwhelmed college freshman arriving on a new campus and in desperate need of a map. He strode right past his office, before doubling back and closing the door behind him. He answered no questions.posted by Nelson at 5:04 PM on January 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
...
On Tuesday, Mr. Santos’s isolation was on display in the House chamber ahead of the highly anticipated speaker vote. He sat alone in the back of the chamber, staring at his phone, even as a group of New York Republicans mingled not far from him.
Anthony D’Esposito, another incoming Republican representative-elect from Long Island, had been aligning himself with Mr. Santos after they won their races in November. The two appeared in multiple joint interviews on Fox News. But on Tuesday, Mr. D’Esposito, chatting with the other New York Republicans, did not even approach Mr. Santos in the chamber to say hello.
Rep.-elect George Santos admitted to using stolen checks in Brazil in 2008, documents show. "The admission came in a statement Santos gave to [Brazilian] police in 2010"
Rep-elects erroneously share press releases saying they were sworn in hours after failed House Speaker votes. A pretty minor mistake, several other new congresspeople did the same thing, but it's particularly striking with Santos.
posted by Nelson at 10:36 AM on January 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Rep-elects erroneously share press releases saying they were sworn in hours after failed House Speaker votes. A pretty minor mistake, several other new congresspeople did the same thing, but it's particularly striking with Santos.
posted by Nelson at 10:36 AM on January 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
This shot of Santos is like a still from a bad horror movie.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:29 PM on January 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 12:29 PM on January 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
1) Years ago in Brazil, when he forged those checks, Santos told the police that he was a professor (CNN).
2) In a sworn statement during eviction proceedings in 2016, Santos claimed to have been mugged on his way to pay $2,250 in back rent on his Queens apartment (Gothamist). He wrote in the court filing that police had told him to return four days later for a report on the supposed incident. “I am unable to provide a police report today as I was requested to go back Tuesday to pick it up,” Santos added in the document filled out under oath. Santos, who faced at least two other eviction proceedings, in 2014 and 2017, wrote that he was robbed at Queens Plaza on Jan. 15, 2016. NYPD has no record of the attack.
3) George Santos, 2016 New York/Florida voter registrations (The Intercept, Dec. 23, 2022) Santos was evicted from a property in New York City in early February 2016, the records show. Within five days of the eviction court filing, he registered to vote in Florida. He voted in Florida on Election Day and, less than a week later, registered to vote in New York.
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:06 PM on January 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
2) In a sworn statement during eviction proceedings in 2016, Santos claimed to have been mugged on his way to pay $2,250 in back rent on his Queens apartment (Gothamist). He wrote in the court filing that police had told him to return four days later for a report on the supposed incident. “I am unable to provide a police report today as I was requested to go back Tuesday to pick it up,” Santos added in the document filled out under oath. Santos, who faced at least two other eviction proceedings, in 2014 and 2017, wrote that he was robbed at Queens Plaza on Jan. 15, 2016. NYPD has no record of the attack.
3) George Santos, 2016 New York/Florida voter registrations (The Intercept, Dec. 23, 2022) Santos was evicted from a property in New York City in early February 2016, the records show. Within five days of the eviction court filing, he registered to vote in Florida. He voted in Florida on Election Day and, less than a week later, registered to vote in New York.
posted by Iris Gambol at 1:06 PM on January 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
For the 100th comment on this story, I will just reiterate from a WaPo piece that Santos is literally the Representative for Jay Gatsby.
posted by Etrigan at 1:52 PM on January 4, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 1:52 PM on January 4, 2023 [10 favorites]
"Rep. Kevin McCarthy has failed to get a majority of the vote after six ballots. Right now, the chamber is adjourned until 8 p.m. ET." (CNN)
George Santos Caught Lying About Voting on Something He Wasn’t in Congress For? (The New Republic, Jan. 4, 2023) The congressman-elect’s personal House website claimed he voted “nay” on the omnibus bill [on Dec. 23, 2022]. It’s not impossible for there to be clerical errors while keeping track of members’ votes. However, that is slightly less likely when the error is published on the particular website of a specific member of Congress. It is unclear why a newly-elected member of Congress would choose to do this. Then again, you could say the same with regards to most of the brazen lies Santos has already told.
Per CNN, Santos told Brazilian authorities that he was a dual citizen. The US has an extradition treaty with Brazil and either country can request the return of individuals if the offense(s) committed are considered crimes by both countries. (Elizabeth F. Bagley was nominated for Ambassador to Brazil a year ago; Douglas Koneff serves now.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:45 PM on January 4, 2023
George Santos Caught Lying About Voting on Something He Wasn’t in Congress For? (The New Republic, Jan. 4, 2023) The congressman-elect’s personal House website claimed he voted “nay” on the omnibus bill [on Dec. 23, 2022]. It’s not impossible for there to be clerical errors while keeping track of members’ votes. However, that is slightly less likely when the error is published on the particular website of a specific member of Congress. It is unclear why a newly-elected member of Congress would choose to do this. Then again, you could say the same with regards to most of the brazen lies Santos has already told.
Per CNN, Santos told Brazilian authorities that he was a dual citizen. The US has an extradition treaty with Brazil and either country can request the return of individuals if the offense(s) committed are considered crimes by both countries. (Elizabeth F. Bagley was nominated for Ambassador to Brazil a year ago; Douglas Koneff serves now.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:45 PM on January 4, 2023
Is something going to happen between now and 8 pm, or are McCarthy's people just hoping that twenty Democrats decide to go home?
posted by box at 3:04 PM on January 4, 2023
posted by box at 3:04 PM on January 4, 2023
A group of Republicans (including Rep. Scott Perry, Rep. Chip Roy, Rep. Matt Gaetz, Rep. Lauren Boebert, Rep. Byron Donalds, Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Thomas Massie) are meeting in Rep. Tom Emmer’s office; McCarthy is engaged in closed-door talks with Republicans and Democrats (CNN)
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:13 PM on January 4, 2023
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:13 PM on January 4, 2023
Here's footage of Santos spacing out during roll call and not responding when his name "Santos" is called. That'd be just an embarrassment. Except in the context of this article it hits a little harder...
posted by Nelson at 4:07 PM on January 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
“He hated that we called him George,” a former friend and onetime co-worker said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid being associated with him publicly. “His whole family called him Anthony. He wanted to be called Anthony. He would use the name Anthony Devolder.”Please note this discussion is about George Santos, a specific Republican clown, and not the more general clown circus that will be the new Republican Congress once they manage to get sworn in.
posted by Nelson at 4:07 PM on January 4, 2023 [8 favorites]
Which won’t be happening tonight, despite Trump’s entreaties.
posted by box at 5:39 PM on January 4, 2023
posted by box at 5:39 PM on January 4, 2023
So if Brazil wants him for criminal charges that probably means he lied on his immigration and citizenship applications. Is that grounds for stripping him of US citizenship? And only US citizens can serve in Congress.
posted by mareli at 4:56 AM on January 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by mareli at 4:56 AM on January 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Republicans will never approve anything that would lose Santos his seat. Their margin isn't big enough that they could afford his seat to possibly flip, as we're seeing by the current clown show.
posted by Gelatin at 6:36 AM on January 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Gelatin at 6:36 AM on January 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
I believe he's American by birth, and has dual citizenship through his born-in-Brazil parents. There were no applications.
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:37 AM on January 5, 2023
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:37 AM on January 5, 2023
Constituents protest in front of Santos's (shuttered) district office. Members of Congress are supposed to open offices in the districts they represent.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:42 AM on January 5, 2023
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:42 AM on January 5, 2023
Actually, I don't believe anything anymore.
Of the many questions surrounding serial fabulist George Santos as he joins the new Congress, one of the most basic is also one of the hardest to answer conclusively: Has he been a U.S. citizen for seven years, one of the three requirements for the job specifically listed in the Constitution? The office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives tells VICE News it’s not their job to check, New York State’s election board says it wasn’t their job and isn’t their problem now, and neither House Republicans or Democrats have anything to say on the matter. The question would perhaps go to the House Ethics Committee, but it points to the House Administration Committee, which for its part points back to the Clerk of the House of Representatives.
Santos says that he was born in Queens, and a decade-old Brazilian court document describes him as a U.S. national. Ordinarily, this would be enough to answer any questions. (Vice, Jan. 4, 2023)
posted by Iris Gambol at 8:33 AM on January 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
Of the many questions surrounding serial fabulist George Santos as he joins the new Congress, one of the most basic is also one of the hardest to answer conclusively: Has he been a U.S. citizen for seven years, one of the three requirements for the job specifically listed in the Constitution? The office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives tells VICE News it’s not their job to check, New York State’s election board says it wasn’t their job and isn’t their problem now, and neither House Republicans or Democrats have anything to say on the matter. The question would perhaps go to the House Ethics Committee, but it points to the House Administration Committee, which for its part points back to the Clerk of the House of Representatives.
Santos says that he was born in Queens, and a decade-old Brazilian court document describes him as a U.S. national. Ordinarily, this would be enough to answer any questions. (Vice, Jan. 4, 2023)
posted by Iris Gambol at 8:33 AM on January 5, 2023 [2 favorites]
The Wild Eviction Drama George Santos Can’t Seem to Explain. He's moved in with his sister.
The owners claimed in court filings that she and two other unnamed people have been squatting in the building since that time, and have failed to satisfy their nearly $40,000 in payment obligations despite receiving more than $30,000 in July from the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). ...posted by Nelson at 2:52 PM on January 5, 2023
In December 2021, the sister donated $5,000 to one of Santos’ fundraising committees, per FEC records. And in June 2022—weeks before receiving more than $30,000 in public emergency funds to pay her back rent—she attempted to give a total of $8,700 to Michelle Bond, a failed GOP candidate for a neighboring Long Island House seat and the girlfriend of FTX co-founder Ryan Salame.
I once saw George Santos save all of the kids on a school bus with failed brakes careening towards a cliff by jumping on top of it and kickflipping it into a backside boardslide on the guard rail, which was really impressive because he was eating a sandwich at the time and singing opera with a mouth full of baloney and he didn't even spill a crumb or miss a single note of Mozart's Dalla sua pace even when he did a switch revert 360 big spin out of the boardslide.
posted by loquacious at 3:59 PM on January 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by loquacious at 3:59 PM on January 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
A former aide to Trump political strategist Steve Bannon is set to join the congressional staff of incoming Rep. George Santos as the embattled politician continues to ignore calls to resign and instead has started to assemble a team aligned with the former president. (Newsday)
That whole article is dripping with venom. Hoo boy.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:27 PM on January 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
That whole article is dripping with venom. Hoo boy.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:27 PM on January 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
Santos says that he was born in Queens, and a decade-old Brazilian court document describes him as a U.S. national. Ordinarily, this would be enough to answer any questions. (Vice, Jan. 4, 2023)
That Vice article is nuts. Mind blown.
posted by Mchelly at 4:59 AM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
That Vice article is nuts. Mind blown.
posted by Mchelly at 4:59 AM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
It seems weird that the application to get on the ballot for a position that requires citizenship doesn't require proof of citizenship for the proscribed period. Though I don't know if that information is on a passport.
posted by Mitheral at 5:46 AM on January 6, 2023
posted by Mitheral at 5:46 AM on January 6, 2023
It feels like the past few years have been a parade of loophole highlights. So much of the government runs on trust and an assumption of good faith. That's not always bad, but you'd think the most influential government on the planet would have more basic security measures.
posted by trig at 6:45 AM on January 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by trig at 6:45 AM on January 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
You’d be surprised how few Americans possess anything that explicitly states their citizenship. Birth certificates are low-security and utterly unmatchable to people other than by believing that the person showing you the certificate is the person on it, and everything flows from them.
posted by Etrigan at 6:56 AM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Etrigan at 6:56 AM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
George Santos making a white power gesture as he votes for Kevin McCarthy (Twitter poster is authoritative.) Here's a second angle from C-SPAN.
posted by Nelson at 11:06 AM on January 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Nelson at 11:06 AM on January 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Jesus Christ, this fucking nitwit. Please just send him to Brazil.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:21 AM on January 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 11:21 AM on January 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Federal Election Commission flags issues with contributions to Santos campaign (CNN, Jan. 6, 2022) The FEC letter informed Santos that the information listed for three of his listed donors – “Best Efforts/Best Efforts,” “NYCBS/MD” and “NYCBS/Self Employed” – is “not acceptable” and that his campaign “must provide the missing information.” [...] In addition, the FEC letter says that Santos’ latest fundraising report “discloses one or more contributions which appear to exceed” federal contribution limits, and it identifies three donors who each contributed at least $25,000 to his campaign. Candidates are allowed to receive a maximum of $5,800 from individuals during an election cycle. [Last week on CNN: Santos campaign finances show dozens of expenses just below FEC’s threshold to keep receipts]
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:25 PM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:25 PM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
There's a solid article about the white power sign now: Christopher Wiggins in The Advocate. That's an LGBT news publication, not quite mainstream, but legit journalism. I find this display disturbing: either Santos is committed to white power or is so deep in his fucked up world view he's playing around with Nazi memes. Either way it's another sign he's absolutely unfit to be in government.
posted by Nelson at 6:32 PM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Nelson at 6:32 PM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Or he's cynically trying to build himself a rabid support base / landing place for if or when he's kicked out.
posted by trig at 10:07 PM on January 6, 2023
posted by trig at 10:07 PM on January 6, 2023
George Santos sworn into Congress amid multiple campaign probes (NBC)
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:01 AM on January 7, 2023
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:01 AM on January 7, 2023
This complaint filed with the FEC is a page-turner.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 1:52 PM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 1:52 PM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
If even half the things in that complaint are true Santos is very bad at crimeing. The 37 disbursements (of less than a 100 yet more than all other campaig s combined) at $199.99 ($0.01 below the threshold) are especially obviously illegal.
I wonder if they be able to pry out where the money given to Devolder LLC actually came from and more importantly who those entities also gave money to.
posted by Mitheral at 3:40 PM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
I wonder if they be able to pry out where the money given to Devolder LLC actually came from and more importantly who those entities also gave money to.
posted by Mitheral at 3:40 PM on January 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
More George Santos Acquaintances Come Forward With Theft Allegations. Santos left a trail of lies and alleged thefts in Brazil and NY, sources say. Now 10 victims are comparing notes in a group chat.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:47 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:47 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
What does a rep do when their own local party calls for them to resign?
(The answer is presumably: nothing. But who knows.)
posted by uncleozzy at 9:21 AM on January 11, 2023
(The answer is presumably: nothing. But who knows.)
posted by uncleozzy at 9:21 AM on January 11, 2023
Ritchie Torres hand-delivers ethics complaint to George Santos. Torres is a gay Democratic congressman from New York. I think this is a different complaint than linked above, but also about campaign finance fraud.
posted by Nelson at 9:22 AM on January 11, 2023
posted by Nelson at 9:22 AM on January 11, 2023
10 victims are comparing notes in a group chat.
Their WhatsApp chat name: Mentira tem pernas curtas ("Lies have short legs" in English)
1970s Antihero's Patch link has Santos as a missing stair, or an entire landing, of the Brazilian-American community: Adriana Damaisceno Parizzi Correia met Santos' mother Fatima Devolder while playing Bingo in 2008 in Niterói, Brazil, near Rio de Janeiro. Devolder's son, whom she called Anthony, joined his mother and sister in 2010 in Brazil, after being raised by his paternal aunt in New York for most of his childhood, Correia told Patch from Brazil, speaking through her daughter Bruna Parizzi as a translator. [...]
Sympathetic Correia helps him in Brazil, with home-cooked meals and money. She foots the bill for at least two international flights -- including his escape from Brazilian police and fraud charges in 2011. (Santos had told her he “was in a little bit of trouble,” but nothing serious.) By 2012, Santos lives rent-free with Correia and her family in Jackson Heights. Then:
Correia noticed cash she had in the apartment began to disappear. When she asked Santos about it, he blamed one of his cousins.
In 2014, Correia and her family briefly moved into an apartment Anthony shared with a boyfriend in Whitestone. Santos told her the neighborhood was very dangerous, and he should hold her jewelry for her.
"My mom believed him," Parizzi told Patch. "He is like soap — he gets out of everything."
No, he never returned her jewelry. There are additional theft and fraud allegations from other roommates -- stolen checks, written out for "10,000" each; designer clothing later recognized on Santos' back in Instagram campaign posts. But now I'm curious about the paternal aunt, and whether he'll spin the aunt as 'like a mother to me' and owner of the involved backstory he gave Fatima.
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:00 AM on January 11, 2023
Their WhatsApp chat name: Mentira tem pernas curtas ("Lies have short legs" in English)
1970s Antihero's Patch link has Santos as a missing stair, or an entire landing, of the Brazilian-American community: Adriana Damaisceno Parizzi Correia met Santos' mother Fatima Devolder while playing Bingo in 2008 in Niterói, Brazil, near Rio de Janeiro. Devolder's son, whom she called Anthony, joined his mother and sister in 2010 in Brazil, after being raised by his paternal aunt in New York for most of his childhood, Correia told Patch from Brazil, speaking through her daughter Bruna Parizzi as a translator. [...]
Sympathetic Correia helps him in Brazil, with home-cooked meals and money. She foots the bill for at least two international flights -- including his escape from Brazilian police and fraud charges in 2011. (Santos had told her he “was in a little bit of trouble,” but nothing serious.) By 2012, Santos lives rent-free with Correia and her family in Jackson Heights. Then:
Correia noticed cash she had in the apartment began to disappear. When she asked Santos about it, he blamed one of his cousins.
In 2014, Correia and her family briefly moved into an apartment Anthony shared with a boyfriend in Whitestone. Santos told her the neighborhood was very dangerous, and he should hold her jewelry for her.
"My mom believed him," Parizzi told Patch. "He is like soap — he gets out of everything."
No, he never returned her jewelry. There are additional theft and fraud allegations from other roommates -- stolen checks, written out for "10,000" each; designer clothing later recognized on Santos' back in Instagram campaign posts. But now I'm curious about the paternal aunt, and whether he'll spin the aunt as 'like a mother to me' and owner of the involved backstory he gave Fatima.
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:00 AM on January 11, 2023
Democrats in Congress see him as a national security threat. Kevin McCarthy seems to agree, which might have something to do with a Santos staff member impersonating McCarthy's chief of staff to make fundraising phone calls.
While Republican officials in Nassau County want Santos to resign immediately (the party chair said “He's not welcome here at Republican headquarters, for meetings or at any of our events. As I said, he’s disgraced the House of Representatives and we do not consider him one of our congresspeople,” while a party executive called him 'a stain on the House of Representatives'), he says he won't.
posted by box at 11:53 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
While Republican officials in Nassau County want Santos to resign immediately (the party chair said “He's not welcome here at Republican headquarters, for meetings or at any of our events. As I said, he’s disgraced the House of Representatives and we do not consider him one of our congresspeople,” while a party executive called him 'a stain on the House of Representatives'), he says he won't.
posted by box at 11:53 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
he says he won't.
Does that mean he will? Is this a logic puzzle?
posted by uncleozzy at 12:08 PM on January 11, 2023 [6 favorites]
Does that mean he will? Is this a logic puzzle?
posted by uncleozzy at 12:08 PM on January 11, 2023 [6 favorites]
From box' second link:
"Although Democrats and some Republicans have said Santos should not receive any committee assignments at all, McCarthy confirmed later in the day that Santos would serve on at least one."
But... Why??? Is there some rule or weird math that requires McCarthy to seat him on some committee?
posted by Hairy Lobster at 1:07 PM on January 11, 2023
"Although Democrats and some Republicans have said Santos should not receive any committee assignments at all, McCarthy confirmed later in the day that Santos would serve on at least one."
But... Why??? Is there some rule or weird math that requires McCarthy to seat him on some committee?
posted by Hairy Lobster at 1:07 PM on January 11, 2023
But... Why??? Is there some rule or weird math that requires McCarthy to seat him on some committee?
It’s the one weird trick that Democrats hate! Seriously, I imagine the weird math here is “sticking it to the Dems.”
posted by Ruki at 1:19 PM on January 11, 2023
It’s the one weird trick that Democrats hate! Seriously, I imagine the weird math here is “sticking it to the Dems.”
posted by Ruki at 1:19 PM on January 11, 2023
and/or securing the speaker vote of a new, notoriously unreliable representative
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:59 PM on January 11, 2023
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:59 PM on January 11, 2023
NYTimes has a financial story today: The Mysterious Unregistered Fund that Raised Big Money for George Santos. Reading between the lines, they seem to be making a connection between money raised by this unregistered "super-PAC"-like entity, and the money that Santos says he "donated" to his campaign:
According to financial disclosures that he filed as a candidate, Mr. Santos claimed that he went from earning $55,000 to running a company worth more than a million dollars in just a few years. That ostensibly enabled him to lend his campaign more than $700,000 — slightly less than the amount that RedStone Strategies claimed to have raised.posted by pjenks at 4:39 AM on January 12, 2023
And from the Washington Post:
George Santos was paid for work at company accused of Ponzi scheme later than previously known
posted by pjenks at 9:14 AM on January 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
George Santos was paid for work at company accused of Ponzi scheme later than previously known
posted by pjenks at 9:14 AM on January 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
If he put in half as much effort into doing honest work as he does scamming people, he could have been a talented politician.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 9:46 AM on January 12, 2023
posted by 1970s Antihero at 9:46 AM on January 12, 2023
Rep. George Santos says he will resign if 142,000 people ask him to (Yahoo, Jan. 12, 2022) "If 142 people ask for me to resign, I'll resign," Santos told reporters outside his office on Capitol Hill. Santos later clarified that he was in fact referring to the more than 142,000 people who voted to elect him in New York's Third Congressional District in November.
In an interview with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. — who was serving as guest host of Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast — Santos said he would remain in Congress "until those same 142,000 people tell me they don't want me."
That last sentence bit -- if Santos is in with Gaetz and Bannon, opportunities to pry him out of the seat are diminishing.
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:15 PM on January 12, 2023
In an interview with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. — who was serving as guest host of Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast — Santos said he would remain in Congress "until those same 142,000 people tell me they don't want me."
That last sentence bit -- if Santos is in with Gaetz and Bannon, opportunities to pry him out of the seat are diminishing.
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:15 PM on January 12, 2023
The Mysterious, Unregistered Fund That Raised Big Money for Santos (NYT gift link)
posted by box at 1:41 PM on January 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by box at 1:41 PM on January 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
“This isn’t an embellished candidacy, it’s a fraudulent candidacy,” former House Speaker Paul Ryan told CNN’s Jake Tapper in a Thursday interview. “He hoaxed his voters. So, of course, he should step down.” (Paul Ryan, Like All of Us, Doesn't Understand Why George Santos is Still in Congress, Vanity Fair, Jan. 13, 2023) “I can’t imagine the guy is going to stay very long,” he added, apparently not accounting for the current Speaker’s desperation for every Republican vote he can get a hold of. "He doesn't strike me as an honorable person, though. I don't know the guy," Ryan said.
In the interview, Ryan guesses that Republicans will "probably let the Ethics Committee run its course." [Dem reps from NY filed that complaint earlier this week.] BUT: Republicans are proposing major changes to the Office of Congressional Ethics. [The GOP] rules package would essentially gut the office, according to advocacy groups opposing the changes being made. (AP, Jan. 9, 2023)
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:34 PM on January 13, 2023
In the interview, Ryan guesses that Republicans will "probably let the Ethics Committee run its course." [Dem reps from NY filed that complaint earlier this week.] BUT: Republicans are proposing major changes to the Office of Congressional Ethics. [The GOP] rules package would essentially gut the office, according to advocacy groups opposing the changes being made. (AP, Jan. 9, 2023)
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:34 PM on January 13, 2023
Slate has a delightfully bitchy, if low-hanging, article about Santos’ favorite restaurant for $199.99 meals.
posted by uncleozzy at 4:13 PM on January 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by uncleozzy at 4:13 PM on January 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
The George Santos Special: I ate at the Italian restaurant where Santos is often, for some reason, spending exactly $199.99.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:14 PM on January 13, 2023
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:14 PM on January 13, 2023
Jinx.
posted by uncleozzy at 4:57 PM on January 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 4:57 PM on January 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Another day, another set of embarrassing revelations. Today's NYTimes piece is about how many Republicans knew about his issues (including suspicions of immigration fraud) and still let his candidacy move ahead.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:39 PM on January 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Dip Flash at 7:39 PM on January 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
(That story links to the DCCC's opposition research on Santos, which may have been linked here before.)
posted by box at 5:54 AM on January 14, 2023
posted by box at 5:54 AM on January 14, 2023
WaPost (Sun): Harbor City called George Santos a ‘perfect fit.’ The SEC called the company a fraud
WaPost (Mon): New details link George Santos to cousin of sanctioned Russian oligarch
posted by pjenks at 7:32 AM on January 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
WaPost (Mon): New details link George Santos to cousin of sanctioned Russian oligarch
posted by pjenks at 7:32 AM on January 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
George Santos's claims make sense once you know that he's the character from that Twilight Zone episode who sells his memories then tries to buy them back.
posted by johnofjack at 1:07 PM on January 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by johnofjack at 1:07 PM on January 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
George Santos lied about getting double knee replacements due to star college volleyball career. Details from an interview on a radio show.
“Look, I sacrificed both my knees and got very nice knee replacements from HSS [Hospital for Special Surgery] playing volleyball… that’s how serious I took the game.”posted by Nelson at 8:21 AM on January 17, 2023 [3 favorites]
George Santos scammed a veteran stealing the money raised for surgery for his dying dog.
Don't mess with dogs.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 4:58 AM on January 18, 2023 [3 favorites]
Don't mess with dogs.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 4:58 AM on January 18, 2023 [3 favorites]
George Santos gets two committee assignments.
George Santos shows early signs of tilting to the far right.
posted by box at 5:07 AM on January 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
George Santos shows early signs of tilting to the far right.
posted by box at 5:07 AM on January 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
How many committee assignments are there in total? (Is the GOP going out of its way to give a freshman two assignments or would this be normal if he weren't a serial fraud?)
posted by trig at 5:48 AM on January 18, 2023
posted by trig at 5:48 AM on January 18, 2023
These particular committees (Science and Small Business) are relatively low-profile, which isn't too surprising, as McCarthy has said Santos shouldn't serve on any of the key committees , or ones where he might have access to top secret information.
I'm not sure that someone like that should be in Congress at all (and 4 NY Republican representatives agree), but Kevin McCarthy is not going to make that judgment.
posted by box at 7:27 AM on January 18, 2023
I'm not sure that someone like that should be in Congress at all (and 4 NY Republican representatives agree), but Kevin McCarthy is not going to make that judgment.
posted by box at 7:27 AM on January 18, 2023
Embattled Rep. George Santos scammed a homeless veteran out of $3,000 he needed to pay for an operation for his beloved sick dog, local news website Patch reported Tuesday. Without the funds Santos had raised on GoFundMe, Richard Osthoff told Patch that his honey-colored pitbull mutt Sapphire passed away.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 7:31 AM on January 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 7:31 AM on January 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
Freelance journalist Marisa Kabas with possibly the last thing you'd have guessed:
NEW: I just spoke by phone with Eula Rochard, a Brazilian drag queen who was friends with George Santos when he lived near Rio. She said everyone knew him as Anthony (*never* George), or by his drag name, Kitara, and confirms this photo is from a 2008 drag show at Icaraí Beach.posted by Pope Guilty at 1:51 PM on January 18, 2023 [6 favorites]
Fortunately, his new colleagues have a rather thorough plan to keep him away from storytimes.
posted by box at 1:57 PM on January 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by box at 1:57 PM on January 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
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