Newly-minted US congressman George Santos is even worse than you thought

[Introversion]

https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/deplorable-is-as-deplorable-does

It’s tempting to mock and laugh at the absurd claims and constant stream of lies emanating from the mouth of Rep. George Santos (R-NY), but beneath them lie some truly disturbing stories. The one lighting up Twitter yesterday comes courtesy of excellent investigative reporting by Patch, a local news outlet based in Oyster Bay, New York.

According to the report, Santos had once offered to help a disabled, homeless veteran named Richard Osthoff with his beloved service dog Sapphire. The pit mix had developed a life-threatening stomach cancer, and Osthoff needed $3,000 for her cancer surgery. A vet tech referred Osthoff to a charity run by Santos called “Friends of Pets United” that raised money to help with such cases. (It turns out the purported charity was never registered as a nonprofit.)

Santos agreed to help Osthoff by launching a GoFundMe for Sapphire under the charity’s name, in which he often personally used the false name of Anthony Zabrovsky. Santos then took the $3,000 that was raised, closed the fundraising page on social media, and ghosted Osthoff on texts, disappearing with all the funds. Without the money for the surgery, Sapphire died the following January.

One further despicable detail: Santos’s one time roommate told Anderson Cooper that Santos often used the last name “Zabrovsky” in connection with his non-profit fundraising because he believed Jews would be more likely to give charity to other Jews. Santos not only conned a homeless vet out of his pet’s life-saving funds, he conned donors by falsely claiming to be part of their community.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy nevertheless continues to stand by Santos, because he needs every vote he can get, and so by majority vote of all House Republicans yesterday, Santos was appointed to two Congressional committees: Small Business and Science. Santos continues, however, to face numerous ethical and criminal investigations into his apparent misrepresentations and frauds.

 

[Unimportant]

 

[MaeZe]

It may be too late for the poor dog owner, but GoFundMe can ask law enforcement to go after Santos for the fraudulent pet charity.

https://www.gofundme.com/c/safety/fraudulent-campaigns

Examples of expressly forbidden fraudulent activity​

• Breaking the law
• Lying or being misleading about your identity as an organizer or your relationship to the ultimate recipient of the funds
• Posting misleading statements in the fundraiser story

We rely on the GoFundMe community to let us know if there is suspicion that an organizer is involved in any of the examples of fraud above. To report a fundraiser for potential fraud, please contact us.

The "contact us" page wasn't all that helpful but it may be worth it to demand the DoJ take action on Santos' fraudulent charity activity.

 

[Lyv]

It may be too late for the poor dog owner, but GoFundMe can ask law enforcement to go after Santos for the fraudulent pet charity.

https://www.gofundme.com/c/safety/fraudulent-campaigns

The "contact us" page wasn't all that helpful but it may be worth it to demand the DoJ take action on Santos' fraudulent charity activity.

Yeah, I tried to get a fundraiser that blatantly violated several of their rules, which the friends and I included in every daily (after weekly didn't work) and nothing. But CNN states they GoFundMe did remove the site in 2016 and ban the user. The victim states he told police but nothing happened. Santos was using a different name, of course, but still seems something should have happened. I don't believe the GOP cares one bit about fraud, animal cruelty, dishonesty, or veterans (I mean, I can cough up links if you need them for but it's kind of their brand), but something should happen. Besides him getting plum committee positions.

 

[ElaineA]

When I saw the thread title I thought, "yeah, yeah, we know," and only belatedly clicked on it. I'm sorry I did. This is despicable. Disgusting. And a complete and total indictment of NY's system, that doesn't allow for recalls. There is absolutely nothing any voter can do about it. They're stuck with a fraud for a rep as long as he refuses to step away. And the rest of the country is stuck with yet another House member who cannot, under any circumstances, be trusted.

 

[Makkura]

Yes, but please don't forget he did find a cure for cancer, climbed Everest in his pants, and gold-medaled in the women's Gymastics in Munich '72.

 

[Unimportant]

So he's denied being a dog killer. And he's denied -- vociferously and immediately -- ever having been a drag queen (which apparently is worse than killing dogs). Now waiting to see how he spins the 'my mother was in her office in the twin towers on Sept 11' lie:

According to The Washington Post, Fatima Devolder (Santos’ mother) “applied for a visa to enter the United States from her home country of Brazil in February 2003, and on that application she stated that she had not been in the United States since 1999.”

This would mean that not only was George Santos/Anthony Devolder’s mother not in the South Tower on Sept. 11, 2001, she was not even in New York City on that day. In fact, she was no less than 3,100 miles away from New York City on 9/11/01.

 

[lizmonster]

So he's denied being a dog killer. And he's denied -- vociferously and immediately -- ever having been a drag queen (which apparently is worse than killing dogs). Now waiting to see how he spins the 'my mother was in her office in the twin towers on Sept 11' lie:

This works for these people. Because if they're sinners, they're "forgiven," which gives them more grace, apparently, than us garden-variety non-fascist do-gooders.

 

[Unimportant]

us garden-variety non-fascist do-gooders.

Speak for yourself, little Missy. I am a tree-hugging, birkenstock-wearing, bra-burning, rainbow-flag-waving pinko-feminist do-gooder.

 

[SWest]

Of course, anyone Jew-ish will know that Falsehood and Misfortune go around together (since The Flood)...

... Two creatures of a most peculiar kind also found refuge in the ark. Among the beings that came to Noah there was Falsehood asking for shelter. He was denied admission, because he had no companion, and Noah was taking in the animals only by pairs. Falsehood went off to seek a partner, and he met Misfortune, whom he associated with himself on the condition that she might appropriate what Falsehood earned. The pair were then accepted in the ark. When they left it, Falsehood noticed that whatever he gathered together disappeared at once, and he betook himself to his companion to seek an explanation, which she gave him in the following words, "Did we not agree to the condition that I might take what you earn?" and Falsehood had to depart empty-handed." ...

 

[Roxxsmom]

https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/deplorable-is-as-deplorable-does

I was just reading about this. Setting up fake charities to steal money from well meaning donors and lying to desperate people who might have looked elsewhere for help had they known. No theft, large or small, is off the table for this con man.

This guy needs to go to jail, not just be drummed out of office.

Love the way the GOP is distancing themselves from him when he kinda epitomizes what they are all about (but they're on a larger scale). Con men. Homicidal psychos with prison records. Tax-evading megalomaniacs. Shouldn't people running for elected office be vetted a bit better in this country?

 

[Cobalt Jade]

I think the pictures of him say it all. His face just looks... blank. Like there's barely anything or anyone there. Like no legitimite emotion has left its telltale marks and lines on the skin.

 

[BenPanced]

Santos has denied the claims he performed as a drag queen in Brazil.

Except when he admitted to "(having) fun at a festival".

 

[Fi Webster]

Leslie Jones has been having some fun with this: "Do you know how much you have to lie to be known as the lying congressman? I mean, all these motherf—ers do is lie, all day! But when you ask them who is the liar, they’re like ‘This guy.'"

Also: "Oh my god. You evil and stupid, You gonna mess with somebody’s dog? Have you not heard of John Wick?!”

And: "This guy is so evil, I wonder if they put him in there on purpose so I can’t pay attention to the other evil people. Anybody got any eyes on Marjorie Taylor Greene? What’s up with that bitch? What is that bitch up to?”

 

[Roxxsmom]

This works for these people. Because if they're sinners, they're "forgiven," which gives them more grace, apparently, than us garden-variety non-fascist do-gooders.

Waiting for the claim that he's, in addition to "Jew-ish," being "born again." Once someone accepts Jesus as their personal savior, the slate is wiped clean for secular sins too, right?

I don't know why anyone would believe anything he says at this point. But if he's allowed to get away with these kinds of "petty" crimes, he will certainly spawn new identities and continue defrauding. Is Santos even his "real" name? How much proof of identity must one provide to run for public office in various states? Would a stolen, or otherwise forged, identity suffice?

I had some friends in college who ran into one of these serial con artists, though she was much "lower" on the scale than this guy. She was in town for an Earth Week festivity at our university and needed a place to stay. Even though they didn't know her, they let her crash on their couch. Not only did she rob them of some cash and drugs they had in the house, her name (or at least the alias she was using at the time) turned up in various places around town. "We don't accept checks from..." and so on. Maybe she was a garden variety drug addict, but she came off as being clear-eyed, sincere, and oh-so-normal, and was clean, well groomed, and (of course, since these were college guys she'd targeted) reasonably attractive. Her story about why she needed a place to stay (a falling out with her boyfriend during the trip) was oh-so-plausible and sympathetic, according to one of the guys involved, at least (he was generally a sensible person).

And don't even get me started about "James," the roommate from hell (to another group of generally sensible friends I knew in college). Some people seem to have a strange compulsion to lie and defraud people.

Maybe these deadbeats went into politics eventually too (James ended up in prison for something or other, but that hardly disqualifies one, if Santos is any indication).

 

[BenPanced]

Hey, guess what: campaign and personal finance issues that are rather hard to ignore (in particular, several expenses for $199.99, just one penny short of the requirement for receipts) are starting to surface.

Quit while you're behind, dear.

 

[ElaineA]

I admit, I was getting weary of the Santos story, only because, if the GOP wants to ignore it, there's not a damn thing anyone can do about it. But now...now things are getting a bit interesting again.

Because Santos seems impervious to slings and arrows and assertions and evidence, the media is looking for new targets, and Elise Stefanik is standing there, right in the bullseye, and CNN isn't wasting time. She staked a lot on Santos, most preciously, her reputation as a fundraiser. While that, in and of itself isn't a big deal, big money donors to the GOP and Santos are pointing the finger directly at her as to why they contributed to Santos's campaign. And they're not happy.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/23/politics/elise-stefanik-george-santos-donors/index.html

Stefanik was a key validator for Santos in their shared home state and often touted the candidate in public and private forums. Several prominent GOP donors told CNN that they gave to Santos, who was largely unknown to them, because Stefanik, the state’s most influential elected Republican and a prolific fundraiser, backed him.

“I would have never donated without Elise,” said Ken Salamone, who gave $5,800 to Santos’ campaign and more than $20,000 to his joint fundraising committee, after Stefanik’s team reached out on his behalf. “I assumed she did her homework. I always do my homework and didn’t. Shame on me.”
Another donor, who attended a fundraising luncheon with Stefanik and Santos, confirmed to CNN through a representative that “he donated to George Santos because of Elise Stefanik’s endorsement.”
...
Multiple Republican operatives in Washington and New York told CNN that they found it implausible that Stefanik had not been aware of Santos’ falsehoods, given rumors about Santos had been passed around in GOP circles since at least the summer of 2021.

“Stefanik’s team was laser focused on electing Santos to Congress – more than just about any other race in the country,” a senior Republican strategist involved in campaigns before the midterms said.

I hold a significant amount of contempt for politicians like Stefanik. People who got themselves elected as a do-gooder moderates, only to grab for raw power by riding extremist coattails (this time Trump's), ethics and promises bedamned. She's turned herself, almost on a dime, into one of the most virulent partisan grenade-throwers in the GOP. Personally, I consider her far worse than the Bobo's and Gaetzes and Jordan's of the party. Those people are expected to spew virulent partisan poison. They've got elected by doing it, and they have been doing it from day one. But Stefanik sold herself as an old-style politician, to go off to Washington to work to get things done for the country and her constituents. What a power-hungry phony.

May the George Santos stain set like olive oil on a careless cook's shirt.

 

[Unimportant]

I can't decide which is more likely: that he's been telling yet more lies, or that somebody wanted to kill him.

...I've experienced vandalism," Santos said. "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."

<...>

"I was mugged by two men," Santos said. "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. I was leaving my office, going to the garage, getting my car, and I was mugged," he claimed

 

[MaeZe]

We'd like to believe you George but ...

 

[Fi Webster]

I can't decide which is more likely: that he's been telling yet more lies, or that somebody wanted to kill him.

When I watched that clip on Rachel, I was dying for the Brazilian interviewer to ask him to explain, in Portuguese, how the mugger managed to steal his shoes in broad daylight at 5th and 55th. Did the mugger make him sit down on the curb and take them off? The mind boggles at the picture Santos didn't paint.

It's like he's coming up with lies that undermine his lies! How is a supposed successful businessman and real estate tycoon forced to take his shoes off?

What's the diametrical opposite of an alpha male? An omega male?

 

[ElaineA]

When I watched that clip on Rachel, I was dying for the Brazilian interviewer to ask him to explain, in Portuguese, how the mugger managed to steal his shoes in broad daylight at 5th and 55th. Did the mugger make him sit down on the curb and take them off? The mind boggles at the picture Santos didn't paint.

It's like he's coming up with lies that undermine his lies! How is a supposed successful businessman and real estate tycoon forced to take his shoes off?

What's the diametrical opposite of an alpha male? An omega male?

There is a Harry Winston on that corner. You know, the jewelry suppliers to the stars and the super-elite? Did their security officers just stand there and watch it happen?

I mean, maybe they did. It would probably have been funny if it happened Fi's way.

Still. How could Ol' George afford office rent and parking in that swanky neighborhood? 5th & 55th is one block south of Trump Tower. Donnie would be appalled to know George was implying it's a dangerous neighborhood where any upstanding sweater-tucked-in guy could be made to part sit on the curb and part with his shoes.

 

[frimble3]

There is a Harry Winston on that corner. You know, the jewelry suppliers to the stars and the super-elite? Did their security officers just stand there and watch it happen?

I mean, maybe they did. It would probably have been funny if it happened Fi's way.

Did their security cameras see nothing?

 

[Unimportant]

Did their security cameras see nothing?

They probably saw him leaving his office at the job he never had.

 

[Unimportant]

Freakin' heck, maybe GS should be a fiction writer. Honestly, his imagination is limitless.

He's claimed to have tested positive for COVID practically before it got off the boat and arrived in the USA, and he's claimed to have had a brain tumour which conveniently returns whenever he needs people to stop asking awkward questions.

 

[MaeZe]

The campaign finance laws are going to sink Santos. And the company he used to launder money is going to be sorry Santos has drawn attention to them.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/01/we-tried-to-call-the-top-donors-to-george-santos-2020-campaign-many-dont-seem-to-exist/

Mother Jones: see the link for the donors MJ found that did not exist or who existed but deny making the donations.

We Tried to Call the Top Donors to George Santos’ 2020 Campaign. Many Don’t Seem to Exist.​

The donations came to the Santos campaign through WinRed, an internet-based service many GOP candidates use to receive contributions. A GOP operative familiar with WinRed confirmed that a person must list his or her name and occupation when donating through the site to comply with federal election laws, but the credit card he or she uses does not have to match that name. ...

These donations suggest a troubling pattern. In campaign filings, names and addresses of contributors are occasionally wrongly recorded. Campaigns do have an obligation to file accurate reports, and they often make efforts to confirm information for major donors, people with whom they want to maintain contact. It is unusual to find a significant number of high-level donors on a campaign filing who cannot be identified or located. The existence of such donations raises questions about the source of these contributions. Talking Points Memo has also reported a case of a Santos donor being charged for contributions he or she did not approve.

Brett Kappel, a campaign finance attorney with the law firm Harmon Curran, explains that it is a campaign treasurer’s duty to examine contributions for evidence of illegality. “If the treasurer determines that a contribution was made illegally in the name of another person,” Kappel says, “the treasurer is supposed to refund the contribution within thirty days.”

Nancy Marks, a veteran Republican campaign operative, served as Santos’ treasurer in 2020 and 2022. On Wednesday, Santos’ campaign committees filed paperwork with the FEC stating that Thomas Datwyler was replacing Marks. (Marks did not respond to requests for comment.)

But as Mother Jones reported, Datwyler’s attorney said that Datwyler had told Santos’ team that he did not want the job. For now, Santos appears to be effectively without a treasurer. On Friday, Datwyler sent a letter to the FEC requesting the commission refer the matter to the “appropriate law enforcement agency to determine whether a crime has occurred.” Also that day, the Justice Department asked the FEC to hold off on any enforcement action against Santos, according to the Washington Post—a sign the feds are proceeding with their investigation of Santos.

If any of these contributions becomes of interest to the local, state, and federal investigators now mounting probes of Santos, these investigators could potentially obtain records from WinRed that include the credit card numbers used to make these donations and determine if the names of the donors match those of the credit card holders. Gerrit Lansing, who launched WinRed in 2019, and other executives at his company did not respond to a request for comment.