George Santos Claims Sinema Told Him To ‘Hang In There’—But Sinema Says Conversation Never Happened

Topline

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.)—who is facing bipartisan rebukes for lying extensively about his resume—claimed in a Thursday night TV interview Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) offered him encouraging words at the State of the Union, but by Friday morning, Sinema denied talking to Santos, just days after the embattled congressman clashed with Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on the House floor.

Key Facts

Key Background

At the State of the Union earlier this week, cameras caught a tense exchange between Santos and Romney. Romney later told reporters he told Santos he should be “staying quiet” and that Santos “shouldn’t have been there.” The disagreement over what exactly happened made its way to Twitter later that night. While Romney told reporters he “didn’t hear anything” Santos said to him, Santos told Semafor he responded, “Go tell that to the 142K that voted for me” at which point Romney called him “an ass.” And this encounter is the tip of the iceberg. Santos has spent the past few months under fire for a myriad of lies about his personal background, including saying his mother was “in the South Tower” on 9/11 and later succumbed to cancer (in a 2003 green card application, Santos’ mother said she hadn’t been in the U.S. since 1999), saying he is Jewish and his his maternal grandparents fled Ukraine to escape anti-Jewish persecution (it was reported they were both born in Brazil) and saying he graduated summa cum laude from Baruch College (there are no records of him attending the college at all). Santos is also facing a House Ethics Committee investigation for questionable financial statements.

Tangent

The Federal Election Commission sent Santos a letter earlier this week asking him to clarify whether he is running for re-election in 2024, after he raised more than $5,000 after the midterm elections, CNN reported. Any individual who raises or spends over $5,000 has to register as a candidate within 15 days of reaching that threshold, according to FEC rules. Santos has until March 14 to tell the FEC his plans.

Further Reading

Shouldn’t Have Been There’: Mitt Romney Goes After Santos At State Of The Union (Forbes)

George Santos Reportedly Claims to Be a Broadway Musical Producer: Here’s Everything The Embattled Congressman Has Lied About (Forbes)

House Ethics Committee Investigating George Santos, McCarthy Confirms (Forbes)

George Santis Stands Down From Committee Assignments Amid Lying Scandal (Forbes)

George Santos: ‘I Will NOT Resign’—As New York GOP Chair Joins Calls For Him To Step Down Amid Lying Scandal (Forbes)