George Santos is aware of he is entertaining.
The former New York congressman, who’s indicted on 23 federal fees and was expelled from Congress earlier this month, is not shying away from the highlight — at the least not whereas persons are watching or prepared to pay for it.
Santos, who has allegedly been cashing on his fame by recording paid messages on Cameo, sat for an interview with Ziwe, a comic identified for her blunt and cheeky interview type.
“What can we do to get you to go away?” she requested Santos within the practically 18-minute interview shared on YouTube on Monday.
“Stop inviting me to your gigs,” he mentioned.
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“The lesson is to stop inviting you places,” she responded.
“But you can’t,” he mentioned. “Because people want the content.”
A day after he was expelled, Ziwe reached out to Santos on X to ask if he’d be excited about a “pay-per-view interview.” She advised him he’d be an “iconic guest.” Santos accepted and the 2 sat down final week for the interview. Santos was not paid for the interview, despite the fact that he requested 3 times, the video says.
“How many stolen credit cards did you use to pay for this look?”
Before the interview, Santos is overheard asking Ziwe if their mics are “hot” and to “be mindful with the DOJ stuff.”
Santos is negotiating a attainable plea deal with prosecutors as he faces a variety of fees that he defrauded marketing campaign donors, lied about his wealth to Congress, obtained unemployment advantages whereas he had a job, and used marketing campaign funds for his private bills, together with on luxurious designer clothes, bank card funds and automotive funds.
A House Ethics Committee report alleged that Santos allegedly spent hundreds in marketing campaign donations at Hermès, Ferragamo and on beauty procedures like Botox. He allegedly made smaller purchases at Sephora.
Though he did not admit spending any of his donors’ cash on the gadgets, Santos advised Ziwe he was sporting Ferragamo sneakers — “I’m known for that.”
“How many stolen credit cards did you use to pay for this look?” she requested. “Ferragamo. Hermès. You like the nice stuff, too.”
Santos at first denied proudly owning something from Hermès “other than the cologne.”
“That’s all I wear from Hermès,” he mentioned, earlier than holding out his wrist. “Oh, no, and the bracelet.”
“You’re literally wearing an Hermès bracelet,” Ziwe mentioned. “How’d you buy that one?”
Santos mentioned it was a present from his husband. The 35-year-old Republican additionally mentioned he is been getting Botox remedies and fillers since he was 25.
“I will never deny it,” he mentioned.
“How do you pay for it?” Ziwe requested.
“I’ve always worked, Ziwe,” he mentioned. “So yeah, my own money. … Like everything else I own, my own money.”
When requested whether or not he would quite shoplift from Sephora or Ulta, Santos mentioned, “Neither. I don’t do petty crimes.”
“White collar,” Ziwe quipped.
Santos on civil rights icons
Santos, who beforehand in contrast himself to Rosa Parks as a result of he mentioned he refused to take a seat within the again row within the House chamber, struggled to establish different civil rights icons.
Ziwe requested Santos what Marsha P. Johnson, a homosexual rights activist and self-proclaimed drag queen, meant to him.
“Very respectful, honorable person,” Santos mentioned. “Keep going.”
“Respectful and honorable in what way?” Ziwe requested.
“On all the stances and all the work,” Santos replied, with a vagueness that prompt he could not have identified who Johnson was.
But Santos did admit his ignorance of homosexual Black author and civil rights activist James Baldwin. He additionally didn’t know who Harvey Milk was — the primary brazenly homosexual man to be elected to public workplace in California, who was assassinated at San Francisco City Hall in 1978.
“Who the hell is James Baldwin?” Santos mentioned, including that he had “no clue” who Milk was both.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ziwe-george-santos-interview/