Rep. Santos returns to Long Island, faces more scrutiny about questionable past

In an impromptu interview as he was leaving LaGuardia Airport, Rep. George Santos emphasized that he is working for Long Islanders but cleared up some information that had recently surfaced about his time while he was in Brazil.

News 12 Staff

Jan 22, 2023, 3:41 AM

Updated 483 days ago

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Embattled Rep. George Santos returned to Long Island Saturday and faced more scrutiny for lying about his past.
In an impromptu interview as he was leaving LaGuardia Airport, he emphasized that he is working for Long Islanders but cleared up some information that had recently surfaced about his time while he was in Brazil.
The openly gay and conservative Santos admitted that he appeared at an event in drag. He confirmed that photos of him in drag that surfaced recently are true.
The admission came after a tweet he sent out on Thursday said, "The most recent obsession from the media claiming that I am a drag Queen or 'performed' as a drag Queen is categorically false."
The newest information just added to a growing list of questionable stories or admitted falsehoods that have surrounded Santos' record since he was elected.
In the airport interview, Santos said he went to Washington D.C. on Friday for work but retuned Saturday.
"I went to D.C. last night for a meeting but I'm back now. I was here all week and it was fabulous seeing the people," Santos said. When asked with whom he spoke with, he replied that it was "classified."
On Wednesday, Santos tweeted that he visited a Hindu temple in New Hyde Park. Officials there said he arrived unannounced and stayed for a cleansing ceremony.
In a tweet sent Thursday that was later deleted, Santos claimed to have met with several mayors in the 3rd District.
However, when News 12 Long Island reached out to every mayor in the district, all of those who returned News 12 Long Island's phone calls -- including an organization that represents all Nassau County villages -- said he had not had any meetings with any of them. Still, Santos insisted that he is working hard for the people of the 3rd District.
"I have spoken with the voters, I've been in the district the whole week, I've been talking to constituents taking calls, I've received grant applications for projects in the district and I look forward to serving the people," Santos said.
One thing Santos would not answer is where his mother was on Sept. 11, 2001. In past interviews, he said she was in the World Trade Center on 9/11 but information surfaced that she was not even in the United States on that date.
On Saturday night, Santos tweeted about possibly working with the Village of Roslyn and talked about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients.


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