As the festive season draws near, Pennsylvania's Democratic Senator John Fetterman has chosen to present an unexpected gift to his beleaguered colleague, Bob Menendez.
The gift, a Cameo message from the controversial former Long Island Representative George Santos, was intended as a sardonic morale booster.
In the Cameo, a visibly cheerful Santos advised Menendez, "Hey Bobby, look, I dont think I need to tell you, but these people that want to make you get in trouble and want to kick you out and make you run away you make them put up or shut up."
The 35-year-old former congressman further encouraged Menendez to stand his ground and not be deterred by his detractors, ending his message with a festive wish of strength and a Merry Christmas.
Fetterman, who was the first Senate Democrat to call for Menendez's resignation following his indictment on corruption charges in September, financed the Cameo using campaign funds, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Santos, who has self-styled himself as a "Former Congressional Icon," has turned to Cameo, a platform where celebrities record personalized messages for a fee, to supplement his income. As of Monday evening, Santos' Cameo messages were priced at approximately $200 each.
Fetterman took to social media to share his rationale behind the gift, stating, "I thought my ethically-challenged colleague @BobMenendezNJ could use some encouragement given his substantial legal problems. So, I approached a seasoned expert on the matter to give Bobby from Jersey some advice."
Santos responded to Fetterman's post with a hint of sarcasm, expressing his amusement and feigning ignorance about the identity of the 'Bobby' in question.
Interestingly, Santos had previously defended Menendez during his short tenure in Congress. Following Menendez's indictment, Santos told an NBC reporter, "Due process is important. He has a right to defend himself. He's innocent until proven guilty. The media has to stop acting like everyone is guilty before they are judged by a jury."
Santos was expelled from Congress on December 1, marking the first expulsion of a House member in over two decades. His expulsion followed a scathing report from the House Committee on Ethics, which found that Santos had misappropriated campaign funds, among other transgressions.
The House voted 311-114 to expel Santos, who is also facing a 23-count federal indictment for alleged campaign money embezzlement, defrauding donors, and more. He has denied any wrongdoing.
In the wake of Santos' expulsion, Fetterman publicly questioned why Menendez was allowed to remain in the Senate while awaiting his own court proceedings. Fetterman, during an appearance on "The View," questioned the Senate's decision to expel Santos while allowing Menendez to remain, despite the latter's alleged involvement in more serious offenses.
Menendez and his wife Nadine are accused of accepting $486,461 in cash payments, $150,000 in gold bars, and a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible from businessmen Wael Hana, Jose Uribe, and Fred Daibes.
Prosecutors allege that Menendez used his political influence to interfere in investigations involving his wealthy friends, pass sensitive security information to agents of the Egyptian government, and lobby for the Arab state to receive US military aid.
Menendez has denied any wrongdoing and previously survived a separate indictment on other corruption charges due to a hung jury. He is up for reelection in the 2024 cycle and is already facing a stiff primary challenge from progressive Representative Andy Kim and New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy, while resisting calls to resign.
Requests for comment from Menendez's office were not immediately returned.
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