In a surprising turn of events, former New York GOP Representative George Santos made an unexpected appearance at Donald Trump's victory party in New Hampshire.
Initially, it was unclear why Santos was present at the event, but his intentions became apparent when he was surrounded by a swarm of reporters, including those from CBS News.
When asked if he had been invited by the Trump campaign, Santos responded, "No, I came, it's an open event. It's a public event. I just registered and came. I came to have fun. It's Maga time, baby, it's 2024."
Earlier on Tuesday, Santos had attended a federal court status conference in preparation for a potential trial later this year. He is currently facing 23 charges, including allegations of identity theft of his donors and fraudulent credit card charges, along with a host of other violations. Santos has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to all charges.
CBS's Scott MacFarlane reported on Tuesday night that Santos had informed the court and federal authorities of his plans to travel outside New York. MacFarlane tweeted, "Per source familiar with matter, George Santos *did* give court & Feds notification that he planned to travel outside NY tonight. Santos is at Trump New Hampshire event." He added, "Feds didnt block federal conspiracy defendant from attending event for another federal conspiracy defendant," referring to Mr Trump.
Trump was declared the winner in New Hampshire on Tuesday night, leading his former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley by 54.6 to 43.2 per cent, with 92 per cent of the votes reported as of Wednesday morning.
Santos was removed from the US House of Representatives last year following a 56-page report from the Republican-led Ethics Committee. The report outlined "substantial evidence" that the 35-year-old violated federal law.
As news of Santos's presence at Trump's victory party circulated, former Democratic presidential campaign staffer Doug Landry tweeted, "This man is a national treasure. Is there more room on Rushmore? The only thing CRIMINAL about George Santos would be taking him away from all of us @TheJusticeDept."
Author and political activist Derek Cressman commented on the CBS video showing Santos at the event, stating, "The political goons biting their lips in the background seem not to approve of the 'all liars and freaks welcome' open borders approach to the Trump Trainwreck victory shindig."
Digital strategist Becka Wall added, "I regret to inform everyone this man is iconic. Terrible but iconic."
In a recent interview with comedian and talk show host Ziwe, Santos was asked how he could be persuaded to "go away." His response? "Stop inviting me to your gigs." Ziwe retorted, "The lesson is to stop inviting you places," to which Santos replied, "But you can't because people want the content."
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