Pursued by reporters that he tried to dodge at all costs and rejected by members of his own party, George Santos —Republican deputy elected from New York— was treated as a pariah on his first day in Congress.
Santos, who is born to Brazilian parents, had been evading public scrutiny for weeks, ignoring phone calls and messages and hiding out on Long Island and Queens. He has only appeared briefly in uncomfortable interviews with conservative outlets, dodging questions about the barrage of lies about his past that have surfaced since he was elected as congressman from Long Island in November.
But this Tuesday (3), Santos had no way to hide anymore. Dozens of journalists were waiting for him in front of his new office in the Longworth building, peppering him with questions about whether he owes his constituents answers about the false persona he created to get elected and whether he had any comments to make regarding the investigations that were being carried out. indicate that he lied on his resume.
Wearing a backpack and staring at his cell phone as he walked flanked by two aides, Santos, 34, gave the impression of a lost college freshman who, newly arrived on campus, was in desperate need of a map. He made a beeline for his office, but then he turned and walked in and closed the door, not answering any questions. Santos looked exhausted. And it wasn’t even noon.
His bumpy landing on Capitol Hill came during the chaotic opening of the 118th US Congress. Republicans were worried about the internal drama of who will be the new speaker of the House and an ultra-right revolt, which turned what should have been the triumphant beginning of the Republican majority into a dysfunctional spectacle. You could hear congressmen and aides chuckling as they speculated who was having a worse day: Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, who lost three votes to be the new Speaker of the House, or the rookie Representative from New York.
George Santos seemed to embody a kind of symbol of his Republican Party’s state of disarray: a young, newly elected deputy, who until recently seemed to be the paradigm of the unexpected resurgence of his party in a state with a Democratic majority. Now, however, members of his own party distance themselves from him, and demand further explanation of his conduct. Some even call for the Chamber to open an ethical investigation into him.
“The guy who lied about his resume?” asked Republican Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, when asked about Santos as he left a morning briefing ahead of the presidential vote. He said Santos “made it clear that he has no grasp of the truth”.
Santos spent the morning being hounded by reporters as he apparently got lost in the basement corridors of the Capitol complex. At one point, when he was looking for an elevator, a security guard instructed him to go back in the direction he had come from.
Confronted with a barrage of questions at every turn, Santos remained silent — except to say that he intended to vote for McCarthy, which he did several times.
Near the Capitol’s south entrance door, Santos finally found her husband, Matt, and climbed the front steps.
That day gave Santos his first taste of what it’s like to be surrounded by journalists roaming the Capitol freely as he tries to orient himself in his new surroundings, mired in a scandal of his own making. At one point, he seemed to be walking towards his office, but when he saw the cameramen waiting for him, he turned around and walked in the opposite direction.
Santos is under the shadow of investigations by federal and local prosecutors looking into potential criminal activity in his two congressional campaigns. On Monday (2), prosecutors told the New York Times that the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro intends to reopen an investigation against him due to a 2008 incident — at the time, Santos was indicted for embezzlement after stealing a checkbook and use it for shopping.
Democrats are already calling for him to resign his seat in Congress, and members of his own party have stepped up questions about his conduct.
This includes false claims about the educational institutions he attended, ties to Wall Street firms he worked for, and his philanthropic efforts. All were exposed as part of a persona invented to attract voters.
In addition to lying about his resume, Santos allegedly submitted incomplete or inaccurate statements about his finances to Congress. Federal and local prosecutors are investigating whether he committed crimes involving his finances or his financial statements.
He, who is Catholic, still claimed to be Jewish and descended from Holocaust survivors.
Santos’ isolation in the Chamber was clear moments before the anticipated vote for president. He sat alone at the back of the room, staring at the phone, while a group of New York Republicans chatted next to him.
Anthony D’Esposito, another rookie Republican representative from Long Island, had been siding with Santos after they won in November. The two gave several joint interviews to Fox News. But on Tuesday, D’Esposito, chatting with other Republicans, didn’t even shake hands with Santos in the House.
Later, Andrew Garbarino, another Republican representative from New York, posted a photo on Twitter of members of the House delegation with Kevin McCarthy. “New York is in the House!” he wrote. George Santos was not in the photo.
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