New York Republican George Santos has responded to photos and videos which appear to show him dressed as a drag queen in Brazil, saying that he was just ‘young’ and having ‘fun at a festival.’
The response came from Santos on Saturday evening after media descended on him as he touched down in New York from a flight from Washington D.C.
The embattled congressman remained steadfast that he had never been a full time drag queen in Brazil but appears to have wavered from his outright denial and association with the snaps and footage which recently resurfaced.
It comes after the openly gay New York Rep. blasted media on Twitter on Thursday calling the claims ‘categorically false.’
NY Rep. George Santos has responded to photos and videos which appear to show him dressed as a drag queen in Brazil, saying that he was just ‘young’ and having ‘fun at a festival’
Despite denying it, internet sleuths appear to have discovered that Santos – who is claimed to be pictured here dressed in drag in 2007 – confirmed it himself in a 2011 post on Wikipedia
In video footage from the airport, an incensed Santos is seen swiftly attempting to walk away from a media pack who pepper him with questions about the recent scandal.
‘Look guys, I wish you guys well I’m going to go in an elevator and I’m going to go to my car and I’m going to go home,’ he’s heard saying to journalists who continue to fire off questions.
‘Were you ever a drag queen in Brazil?’ one reporter is heard asking, the congressman still eagerly moving toward the airport exit.
‘No, I was not a drag queen in Brazil,’ he said shrugging off the suggestion. ‘I was young, and I had fun at a festival.’
Photos from the airport media scrum show Santos disengaged and looking at his phone as journalists continue to tail him to the elevator.
Santos is seen leaning back in apparent relief as he reached the elevator pressing the button to enter several times seemingly trying to remove himself from the situation.
The response came from Santos on Saturday evening after media descended on him as he touched down in New York from a flight from Washington D.C
In video footage from the airport, an incensed Santos is seen swiftly attempting to walk away from a media pack who pepper him with questions about the recent scandal
Photos from the airport media scrum show Santos disengaged and looking at his phone as journalists continue to tail him to the elevator
A desperate Santos is seen attempting several times to press the elevator button seemingly to remove himself from the media firing line
This week, a 2011 Wikipedia post appears to show the NY Rep. confirming that he had performed as a drag queen.
The post also claims he got parts in the Disney TV series Hannah Montana and movie The Invasion ‘with Uma Thurman’ – who does not star in the film.
Video obtained by DailyMail.com purportedly depicts Santos, speaking in Portuguese, listing off the venues at which he did ‘presentations’ – all of them being prominent drag venues around Rio de Janeiro.
Santos, who is under growing pressure to resign, called claims that he ‘performed’ as a drag queen named Kitara Ravache in Brazil circa 2008 ‘false,’ while also calling accusations that he swindled a disabled veteran out of medical dollars for his sick dog ‘insane.’
In a post to Twitter on Thursday he wrote: ‘The most recent obsession from the media claiming that I am a drag Queen or ‘performed’ as a drag Queen is categorically false.
‘The media continues to make outrageous claims about my life while I am working to deliver results. I will not be distracted nor fazed by this.’
The page also alleges that Santos/Devolder had a cameo appearance on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana (pictured) and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
Santos, who is under growing pressure to resign, said that claims that he ‘performed’ as a drag queen named Kitara Ravache in Brazil circa 2008 ‘false’
However, it was discovered that Anthony Devolder – an alias known to have been used by George Santos – last edited a post on Wikipedia in 2011 suggesting that he’d performed in drag. George Anthony Devolder Santos is the congressman’s full name.
The bizarre April 29, 2011 post unearthed by Politico said that his apparently budding career as a drag performer took place while he was a teenager in Brazil.
He used the usernames Devmaster88 and GeorgeDevolder22 to make the post, with Wikipedia moderators accusing him of abusing multiple accounts.
The post – littered with spelling errors says: ‘Anthony Devolder first startted [sic] his ‘stage’ life at age 17 as an gay night club [sic] DRAG QUEEN and with that won sevral [sic] GAY ‘BEAUTY PAGENTS [sic].’
The page also alleges that Santos/Devolder had a cameo appearance on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana – which is misspelt in the entry – and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.
The video purportedly shows Santos in a black dress discussing the local Pride Parade
It also alleges that he ‘taped his very first movie’ with ‘Uma Turman [sic], Chris Odanald, [sp] Melllisa George, [sic] and Alicia Silver Stone [sic] in the movie ‘THE INVASION.’
That film, released in 2007, stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. None of the people listed in the Wiki entry appear in ‘The Invasion.’
As part of his performing career, the Wikipedia edits also allege that he’s met Steven Spielberg and that his career took off when he met a producer of the 1996 film ‘Independence Day.’
Details of Santos’ backstory continue to unravel, after he was identified in a 15-year-old photo depicting two drag queens on Brazil’s Icaraí Beach.
A Brazilian drag queen named Eula Rochard told independent journalist Marisa Kabas that she was the other person in the photo and named Santos, now 34, as her friend alongside her.
Santos has denounced the claim as ‘false’ and accused the media of chasing ‘outrageous’ stories.
On Thursday morning, Santos lashed out against claims that he once performed as a drag queen in Brazil
This photo emerged on Wednesday, alleging that Santos, now 34, is depicted cross dressing in 2008
He’s also rebuffed all calls to step down, and since getting to Capitol Hill, has appeared to align himself with conservative lawmakers – many of whom have made opposition to community drag shows, a cornerstone of their culture war platforms.
But in the 2008 photo, the person identified as Santos, is seen dressed in a strapless red top or dress while sporting longer brown hair. While the photo is grainy, some element of makeup is visible.
His Democratic critics accused Santos of hypocrisy for aligning himself with people whose ideologies see the drag community as an object of scorn.
Two acquaintances of the beleaguered congressman told Reuters in a late Wednesday report that Santos participated in Brazilian drag shows a decade and a half ago.
One of those people was Rouchard, who claimed Santos was involved in Rio de Janeiro’s cross-dressing scene from around 2005.
Embattled Rep. Santos has been under growing pressure to resign as key details of his backstory continue to unravel. He has thus far refused to step down
Rouchard reportedly recalled Santos going by ‘Anthony’ rather than ‘George’ at the time. She said she was in her late teens when she knew Santos.
‘Anthony Devolder’ was also the name Santos used when he allegedly scammed a disabled veteran out of charity money to save his dying dog.
Santos reacted to that accusation on Twitter Thursday, ‘the reports that I would let a dog die is shocking [and] insane.’
‘My work in animal advocacy was the labor of love [and] hard work. Over the past 24hr I have received pictures of dogs I helped throughout the years along with supportive messages,’ he wrote. ‘These distractions won’t stop me!’
Navy veteran Rich Osthoff, who was homeless at the time, told CNN he was connected to Santos as someone who had experience rescuing animals when his service dog, a pit bull named Sapphire, developed a tumor.
Santos purportedly set up a GoFundMe for the dog. But after he raised $3,000 he reportedly became hard to reach and eventually disappeared with the funds. The dog died.
House Republican leaders have guaranteed that Santos will have his own Congressional workload, despite mounting concern over his place on Capitol Hill.
He’ll be serving on two committees in the 118th Congress – the Small Business panel and the Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
Meanwhile, Santos is under federal and state investigations as well as a Congressional ethics inquiry amid questions over how he came about his recent personal wealth, including the $700,000 he donated to his 2022 campaign.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk