Rep. George Santos faces a growing number of serious allegations about his past and his conduct, and he has stayed mostly silent in recent days as claims against him mount.
But there's one allegation he categorically denies: being a drag queen.
"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," Santos tweeted Thursday morning.
The tweet follows a report from Reuters and other news outlets, citing performers in Brazil who allege that Santos was an active part of that country's drag community years ago.
It also raises questions about Santos' relationship with Vickie Paladino, the right-wing Queens city councilmember and vehement opponent of the drag community, who has been one of Santos' biggest backers.
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It was the first time in days that the embattled New York congressman has spoken out in any way about the claims against him - and it stands in contrast to a number of seemingly more serious allegations on which he has stayed silent, like the report he allegedly stole funds earmarked for a homeless veteran's dying service dog.
A couple of hours after the drag tweet, Santos finally addressed the dog allegations Thursday morning, tweeting a partial denial as well.
"The reports that I would let a dog die is shocking & insane. My work in animal advocacy was the labor of love & hard work. Over the past 24hr I have received pictures of dogs I helped reduce throughout the years along with supportive messages. These distractions won’t stop me!" he tweeted. (A couple of hours later he deleted the tweet and replaced it with a new one to fix the typo of "reduce" to "rescue.")
The congressman's tweet criticizes, but does not directly deny, allegations that Santos in 2016 had disappeared with the thousands of dollars raised in the GoFundMe to cover the costs of a surgery for a veteran's dog's stomach tumor.
Back in his home district, many voiced their displeasure at the allegations against Santos.
"What George Santos did here was despicable. I am not sure what straw will break the camels back," said Mitch Furman, a Vietnam War veteran. "Twenty veterans a day commit suicide in this country. Service dogs are one way to prevent that from happening."
New Jersey naval veteran Rich Osthoff accused Santos — who was using the name Anthony Devolder back in 2016 — of stealing $3,000 dollars raised on GoFundMe for the lifesaving treatment for his service dog, Sapphire. The dog never got the treatment, because Osthoff said he never got the money.
"I tried to call the police, but without a real name — I didn’t know it was George Santos. No address and phone number, nothing they could do about it," Osthoff said Tuesday. "I’m so livid that guy is a congressman! He doesn’t deserve that job."
The Queens District Attorney's office declined to comment specifically on Santos' alleged mishandling of the crowdfunding campaign. A spokesperson for the office instead reiterated a prior statement about Santos' alleged conduct, saying, "While as a matter of course we do not comment on open investigations, we are reviewing whether Queens County has jurisdiction over any potential criminal offenses."
There is also fresh scrutiny over Santos's story regarding his mother and 9/11. The congressman's campaign website claimed “George’s mother was in her office of the South Tower on September 11, 2001.” But immigration documents obtained by NBC news show that Santos’s mom, Fatima Devolder, left the U.S. in 1999 and did not return until 2003.
"He lies about every item on his resumé and every day we say it can’t get worse," said Nassau County Legislator Josh Lafazan.
Santos, who won his Long Island congressional district in November, has been mostly silent since arriving in Washington earlier in January, saying only that he embellished his resumé and that an ethics probe would not deter him. He was sworn in this month and has refused calls to give up his seat.
He has notably stayed out of sight in his district. There was no sign of him at his Queens office on Thursday, and some constituents who tried to call got automatically transferred to Long Island Congressman Nick LaLota instead.
A Santos spokeswoman told NBC New York the issue is with the House Administrative Office and they're working to resolve it immediately.
Santos, who represents New York's 3rd District, is reportedly under investigation by local, state and federal prosecutors — as well as authorities in Brazil, where he has been accused of fraud.
He and his campaign have repeatedly ignored requests for comment from NBC News.
