Brazilian drag performer IDs Santos in photos
NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Rep. George Santos responded Thursday to several of the claims being made about his life before Congress. Santos denied stealing money that was supposed to save the life of a dog, and he also said he was not the Brazilian drag artist known as “Kitara.”
NEWS10's sister station in New York City spoke with drag performer Eula Rochard from Brazil about Santos' past. Rochard held up a newspaper and a picture as proof that Santos did appear in drag in 2008.
Rochard said Santos went by the name Anthony at the time and appeared in drag under the stage name Kitara. "Let me make something very clear," he said. "I work as a drag queen since 1984. I am known in my city, my state, and in parts of Brazil, and Anthony was new. He knew about me and started to go to my home because he used to live in Niteroi."
Santos denied the account, tweeting that it was "categorically false" and a distraction.
The Long Island and Queens Republican has positioned himself as a conservative, voicing support for Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill, which prohibits classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Drag story hour in libraries is a frequent target of conservatives. However, whether or not Santos dressed in drag more than a decade ago may be the least of his current concerns. Richard Osthoff, a military veteran from New Jersey, has been claiming Santos took $3,000 from a GoFundMe fundraiser that was supposed to help his dying dog. Santos denies this claim as well, calling the accusation "insane and shocking."
The problem with Santos' denials is he already admitted to lying about some things and is accused of lying about even more, including working for Goldman Sachs, being a volleyball star and Baruch College, his mother perishing on September 11, and his grandparents fleeing the Holocaust. Finally, questions remain about where Santos' recent wealth came from and how it was used to fund his campaign.