Scandal-rocked GOP Rep. George Santos went on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast yesterday. The gay, bullish NYC lawmaker again attempted to defend his numerous lies and dodgy financial dealings. Fellow Rep. Matt Gaetz was guest hosting the show.
Just three or four years ago, Santos’ was reportedly on a salary of $55,000 and had unpaid debts to his name. Despite this, he lent around $700,000 to his own political campaign. He claims the Devolver Organization, which he founded a couple of years ago, is worth $11.5 million and recently paid him a salary of $750,000.
Related: Latest George Santos bombshell involves beefy Italian thug and $200K hidden in walls of luxury yacht
Gaetz made desultory stabs at interrogating the 34-year-old congressman. Gaetz did ask the one thing that both local and federal investigators are now probing: Where did Santos’ money come from?
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“Well, I’ll tell you where it didn’t come from,” a smirking Santos responded. “It didn’t come from China, Ukraine, or Burisma. How about that?”
“Well, that is an answer,” Gaetz responded.
George Santos says he has “lived an honest life” in the same breath as a refusal to answer questions about where the money he used to give himself more than 700k in campaign loans came from. pic.twitter.com/AU1fSqLvSK
— nikki mccann ramírez (@NikkiMcR) January 12, 2023
Santos refuses to give a clear answer
Gaetz asked Santos again if he can say any more about the work he did that led to his sudden wealth.
“Look, I’ve worked my entire life. I’ve lived an honest life,” Santos said, straight-faced. “I’ve never been accused–sued–of any bad-doings,”
This is another lie. He faced prosecution in Brazil over the issue of a stolen checkbook from 2008. The case was dropped when authorities were unable to trace Santos. Prosecutors have indicated they’re looking at reopening the case, now that they know Santos’ whereabouts.
“So it’s the equity of my hard-working self that I’ve invested inside of me,” Santos continued. “Like I said, it didn’t come from Burisma. It didn’t come from Ukraine, China, unlike some folks that we all know who get money from those sources.”
In another section of the show, Santos again reiterated that he has no plans to resign.
“I was elected by 142,000 people. Until those same 142,000 people tell me they don’t want me, we’ll find out in two years.”
“I am going to outwork any of the pundits and talking heads that are out there saying that I should resign.” @Santos4Congress joins the War Room with guest host @MattGaetz and discusses his resume, and addresses the calls for his resignation.#WarRoom pic.twitter.com/EpXdSddeBH
— Real America’s Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) January 12, 2023
Gaetz brings up Santos “embellishing” his résumé, with fabrications about his career and education. Santos has yet to be appointed to sit on any committees. Gaetz downplays the controversy, saying, “If we didn’t sit people on committees who embellished their résumés running for congress, we probably wouldn’t be able to make quorum in any of those committees.”
Quorum is the minimum number of members required to make a meeting valid.
Gaetz and Santos chuckle at the joke about the dishonesty of their colleagues.
Related: George Santos: “I have done nothing unethical”
Calls for George Santos to quit
Although Gaetz gave Santos an easy ride, an increasing number of his Republican colleagues are not.
Yesterday, Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) became the latest GOP figure to call on Santos to resign.
“I believe voters have the right to hold government officials to the very highest standard of honesty and trustworthiness,” Miller said in a statement.
“The people’s representatives must respect the need for transparency and candor with Americans. It is not okay to fabricate or lie for political gain.”
Miller’s statement comes after five other Republican Reps. from New York called on Santos to quit on Wednesday: Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, Nick Langworthy, Nick LaLota, Brandon Williams and Mike Lawler.
Yesterday, former speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) also demanded Santos quits.
“This isn’t an embellished candidacy,” Ryan told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “It’s a fraudulent candidacy. He hoaxed his voters, so of course he should step down.“
Ronbo
Shouldn’t this be something that the (newly downsized) IRS looks into? Who ensures that politicians file truthful campaign information? Not Matt Gaetz, certainly.
basils_Herald
Article I of the US Constitution says that the House and the Senate each get to determine their own rules. The House is designed to react to the People’s immediate needs and resets itself every two years; anything that’s not in the US Constitution or a Federal Statute can be enhanced, tweaked or ejected. The Senate is designed to preserve traditional wisdom and needs a majority/plurality of Senators to vote to change its rules. Both bodies have bipartisan ethics committees that are made of a majority of the majority party and a minority of the minority party. The Republicans have such a slim majority in the House that getting rid of Santos could jeopardize their majority. Members of Congress are immune from investigation and prosecution until the respective ethics committee lifts their immunity.
Ronbo
I expect that all politicians don’t welcome closer inspections. It might slow the flow of money into politics. How can the rich get their way if they can’t select and fund their hand-picked servants?
Mister P
There is a Federal Election Commission and a Department of Justice that is charged with enforcing the laws. God help us, if any Republican is in charge of ethics.
Chrisk
“Look, I’ve worked my entire life. I’ve lived an honest life” … LMAO
Terrycloth
Like Trump Santos says he never told a lie in.his life..right A LIE.you and Trump were both born liars since coming out of the womb+
Mack
No surprise that Gaetz and Santos are buddy/buddy. Two peas in a pod.
scotty
i think they both have their buttplugs in and buzzing.
anyone else hear that ?
boblrice
Gaetz’s downplaying of Santos’ resume fabrication is total BS and a poor attempt to normalize unethical behavior by alleging that everyone does it.
I’ve never lied on my resume. Why? For one it’s wrong and it’s also incredibly stupid because it’s incredibly easy to get caught in a lie. What Santos did is not “embellishment”. You embellish facts. He outright lied about most everything in his past.
Do politicians lie? Of course they do, but I’m gonna go on a limb and say that the majority did not fabricate their pasts because they’re in the public eye and under direct scrutiny by the public.
Santos is a just a moron. Too stupid to be in congress. Gaetz is far worse. He’s a privileged, nefarious, grifting, sex offender who’s actually politically savvy. Both need to go away.
Fname Optional Lname
What a slap in the face to those who have not only not LIED on their resume but the one’s who have accomplished extraordinary feats in their careers. Trump made us all desensitized to lying and here we are
abfab
Not all of us.
bachy
It’s about more than embellishments, fabrications and lies. These people are dangerous sociopaths who have deceived, manipulated and clawed their way into positions of great power and influence. It’s one thing to have a nutjob in the back of the bus. It’s quite another to have one in the driver’s seat. They must be stopped.