NEW LOW: George Santos did something that’s even worse than his lies

George Santos did something that's even worse than his lies

Representative George Santos, a legislator already under scrutiny for falsifying information about his history and allegedly stealing from a dying man, doesn’t seem to have been a kinder or more-decent person in the years between.

In a recently-surfaced clip, he’s discussing COVID-19 when he suddenly decides to lash out at sexual assault victims.

In this clip, Santos is mocking COVID-19 deaths, suggesting that the global pandemic, which killed more than a million people in the United States alone, isn’t really that serious, since when he contracted the virus himself, it wasn’t a bad case.

Either misspeaking or making it up as he goes along, Santos first says that he had to use an inhaler for three months as a result of the illness, then changes it to three days.

Ultimately, Santos seems to think if COVID wasn’t too bad when he had it, then stories of hospitals struggling to find space to store dead bodies as the pandemic raged aren’t believable.

Then he brings Harvey Weinstein — who was convicted of rape and sexual assault last month after years of allegations — and his victim(s) into it. He mimics an imagined victim complaining of contracting the virus from Weinstein, but still focused on their acting career.

It’s just one more in a string of clips surfacing in which the credibility-deficient legislator shows a dearth of empathy — and a willingness to appropriate any identity or role for his own advancement.

Now, pretending to be a struggling actor sick with a virus after a sexual assault can be added to the list, along with pretending to be Jewish, and perhaps even pretending to be in a same-sex marriage.

“Harvey Weinstein gave me COVID virus! [uproarious laughter at his own joke] And I still didn’t get the gig!” Santos exclaimed.

See the clip below.

In a more recent clip, you can see him defending his claim that he’s Jewish, despite also saying that he’s Catholic.

Previously, he explained that he considers everyone to be Jewish because Jesus Christ was Jewish “and we’re all brothers in Christ.”

That’s only scraping the surface, though.

A comprehensive list of his proven lies, admitted falsehoods, and possible deception would also include his claim that he had employees who died in the bigoted Pulse Nightclub shooting; his assertion that his grandmother was a Holocaust victim; and possibly even his marriage.

“His campaign bio discussed his husband, with whom he lives in Long Island along with four dogs. But Santos never appeared on the campaign trail with his partner, and the Daily Beast could not find a marriage record in New York,” according to NYMag‘s Intelligencer.

They did, however, find a record of his 2019 divorce from a woman.

According to the Nassau County GOP Chairman, he even lied about what school he went to and being a volleyball champion.

Santos has been asked by Republican leadership in his district to resign, but he has refused and said he’ll be sticking around.

And don’t expect House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to expel him from Congress with such a slim majority and fractious caucus that a bad bus accident on the way to the next GOP softball game could put the House back under Democratic control.

McCarthy needs every vote he can get and has even said he won’t bar Santos from committee assignments except the most important ones.

Santos remains both a bad apple and a hot potato for the GOP, which is like a repository for rotten produce at this point.

Steph Bazzle covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph.

Stephanie Bazzle

Steph Bazzle is a news writer who covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph. Sign up for all of her stories to be delivered to your inbox here: