CNN
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Embattled Republican Rep. George Santos, who disputed claims he was a “Brazilian drag queen,” told reporters Saturday that he “had a lot of fun at the festival” as he declined to answer questions about his mother’s visit to the World Trade Center , 11 September 2001.
“No, guys, I’m not a drag queen in Brazil. I’m young and I’m having fun at a festival. Sue my life,” Santos told reporters at LaGuardia Airport, his latest comment on this week. The first public response to reports that surfaced earlier.
The congressman — an out gay man — was identified by a longtime Brazilian drag performer who posted a picture of herself and another in drag during a 2008 parade in the Rio de Janeiro region photos of the author, who she claimed was Santos.
Santos initially denied that he was “playing drag queen”, but did not seem to deny that he was in the photo.he tweet thursday “The media’s recent obsession with claiming I’m a drag queen or ‘acting’ as a drag queen is absolutely false.”
The latest charges come as Santos, who represents New York’s 3rd District, has come under scrutiny over the past month for lying and misrepresenting his education, work and family history, including claims that his mother was involved in the 2001 terrorist attack.
On Saturday, Santos completely ignored multiple questions about his mother’s Sept. 11 whereabouts, instead venting his anger at the media.
“I ask zero of you right now. The way I look at you right now is that I’m focused on serving the American people and I’m very excited,” Santos said, adding that he had reached out to a “substantial” number of voters and was working on from Washington, D.C., where he attended a conference on Friday night.
He declined to say who he met with, saying it was “confidential.”
On September 11, when reporters continued to ask about his mother’s whereabouts, Santos repeatedly criticized and complained to reporters. Immigration records show she was not in the United States at the time of the terrorist attack, although he claimed she was in the South Tower.
He declined to comment on his controversial committee mandate and ignored questions about whether he had spoken with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
CNN reported this week that Santos was named to two lower-level House committees: the Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
Santos had privately lobbied Republican leaders to serve on two other high-profile committees, one overseeing the financial sector and the other on foreign policy, but top Republicans rejected the offer, CNN previously reported. , because some chairmen were reluctant to add him to their group.
