Out Rep. George Santos' New Claim: Alleged Assassination Attempt
A new tale has dropped regarding out Rep. George Santos, who claimed in an interview with a Brazilian podcast that he has been the target of an attempted assassination, according to the Daily Beast.
In the same interview with Rádio Novelo Apresenta, Santos also claimed that he was mugged in New York City, and said that vandals targeted his house in Florida because he's a Republican.
"The wild allegations were uncovered Monday by Rachel Maddow, who on her show played video of an interview," the Daily Beast detailed.
"Santos didn't bother going into detail about the alleged assassination attempt, something Maddow noted during the segment," the article went on to add.
The claims around vandalism were equally vague. Business Insider reported that Santos claimed, "I'm going to a New Year's Eve party with my husband. We go back to our house, it was vandalized because we were at a Republican Party in Florida in December 2020."
Santos offered these specifics regarding the alleged mugging:
"Before asking any questions, they weren't Black, they were even white, but they robbed me, took my briefcase, took my shoes and my watch. And that was in broad daylight. It was 3 p.m."
During the interview, Santos summarized his latest sheaf of stories, saying, "We have already suffered an attempt on my life, an assassination attempt, a threatening letter, having to have the police — a police escort standing in front of our house."
Unsurprisingly, evidence to back up those claims wasn't exactly forthcoming.
"The podcast hosts asked Santos for a police report to substantiate his claims, but haven't heard back, Maddow said, adding that she did the same. She's also filed a records request with the NYPD — but hasn't yet received a response."
One of the podcast hosts, Flora Thomson-DeVeaux, "tweeted that the December 7 interview with Santos was 'one of the most infuriating interactions' she could remember in recent years," Business Insider relayed, "saying he 'spewed unbelievable fake facts' but refused to engage when challenged."
News of the claims are just the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the embattled freshman congressman. Santos recently acknowledged the veracity of 15-year-old photos that purport to show him in drag regalia, and purportedly document his participation in a drag performance in Brazil.
Initially, Santos — who also stands accused of various episodes of theft, including an accusation that he stole money from a GoFundMe intended to help a veteran's sick dog — took to Twitter to deny those claims, posting, "The most recent obsession from the media claiming that I am a drag Queen or 'performed' as a drag Queen is categorically false."
Later on, however, Santos seemingly verified the authenticity of the photos, though he denied doing a drag performance. "I was not a drag queen," Santos told reporters last weekend. "I was young and I had fun at a festival."
The "drag queen" photos of Santos emerged as GOP lawmakers in several states are pushing bills that would automatically categorize drag shows as "adult" entertainment regardless of actual content. Some lawmakers are also pressing for the criminalization of children being present at drag events.
Watch Maddow's report below.
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