Santos denies being drag queen but admits to cross-dressing
REPUBLICAN congressman George Santos has belatedly admitted dressing up as a woman in Brazil – but denied he was ever a drag queen.
The cross-dressing incident, 15 years ago, heaped further pressure on 34-year-old Mr Santos whose embryonic political career has been mired in scandal since his election in November.
Hailed as the first openly gay Republican to win a congressional seat as a non-incumbent, Mr Santos’s claims about his past have unravelled.
The latest in a slew of allegations surfaced last week when MSNBC published a picture of Mr Santos dressed as a woman alongside Brazilian drag queen Eula Rochard.
Rochard claimed Mr Santos, pictured in a red feathered dress wearing makeup and a wig, competed in a 2008 beauty pageant as “Kitara Ravache”.
Having initially denied he was in the picture taken at the festival in Rio, Mr Santos changed tack when confronted by reporters at Laguardia airport at the weekend.
“I was not a drag queen. I was young and I had fun at a festival. Sue me for having a life.”
The disclosures have led to calls for Mr Santos to stand down, with a petition calling for his resignation reaching 142,000 signatures.
He has been accused of lying about being Jewish and admitted embellishing his CV by claiming to have worked on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup – rather than at a call centre in Queens, earning $15 (£12) an hour.
Mr Santos’s sexuality is believed to have helped him win votes in New York’s 3rd congressional district. However, he did not disclose his previous marriage to a woman.
His claim that his mother was at the World Trade Centre on Sept 11 was a fabrication and questions have been raised over his assertion that he was one of the first New Yorkers to contract Covid.
Only last week Mr Santos was accused of stealing $3,000 from a homeless veteran who was raising cash for his dying dog. He has denied the allegation.
Embarrassed by his antics, the Republican leadership, which narrowly regained control of the House of Representatives, has assigned Mr Santos lowprofile committee assignments.