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New York Republican Representative George Santos denied he was a drag queen under the name "Kitara Ravache" while living in Brazil, but one of his old drag friends has photos to prove it.
Although Santos called the story an “outrageous claim” he alleged was made up by the media, freelance reporter and MSNBC columnist Marisa Kabas spoke with Eula Rochard, a Brazilian drag queen who knew Santos under the name "Anthony"—one of his many aliases.
Kabas has done a deep dive on all things Santos which can be reviewed in full via their newsletter The Handbasket.
Rochard provided Kabas with a photo of themself and Santos from 2008.
You can see the photo below.
\u201cNEW: I just spoke by phone with Eula Rochard, a Brazilian drag queen who was friends with George Santos when he lived near Rio. She said everyone knew him as Anthony (*never* George), or by his drag name, Kitara, and confirms this photo is from a 2008 drag show at Icara\u00ed Beach.\u201d— Marisa Kabas (@Marisa Kabas) 1674073745
UPDATE 1/20/23: And now there's video!
\u201cThe drag queen in this video sent to me by an anonymous source appears to be wearing the exact same dress, necklace, and earrings as Kitara Ravache in Brazilian drag queen Eula Rochard's photos that\u2019s been circulating online, alleging it is U.S Rep. George Santos Santos4Congress\u201d— Steven Grattan (@Steven Grattan) 1674168136
Kabas and others made it clear there is nothing wrong with drag, but Santos is aligned with homophobes and transphobes who target LGBTQ+ people and specifically drag performers for violence.
\u201cThe important context here is that Santos ran as a far right candidate, and continues to align himself with transphobes/homophobes who target drag shows with violence. \n\nDrag is beautiful. Hypocrisy and anti-drag/anti-trans bigotry are not.\n\nhttps://t.co/5bI7vyo8uB\u201d— Marisa Kabas (@Marisa Kabas) 1674073745
Eula Rochard also posted about her connection to Santos on her Instagram.
Rochard said she had been following Santos' story since an extensive investigation by The New York Times exposed multiple lies he told about his life.
She said she knew Santos when they were both about 16 or 17 years old, but when she first spoke about her connection to him, people accused her of lying.
In an interview with Reuters, Rochard said Santos was a "poor" drag queen who could only afford a simple black dress when he started but he was nonetheless "always a liar" and a "dreamer" who wanted to be Miss Gay Rio de Janeiro. In 2008, the year the photo she shared was taken, Santos competed in a pageant and lost.
Later, video of Santos allegedly performing in drag also surfaced.
\u201cThe video reportedly showing George Santos in drag as Kitara Ravache was originally posted in 2013.\n\nLink: https://t.co/khU67yWa5Q\u201d— PatriotTakes \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@PatriotTakes \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1674104007
While these revelations are striking, at least one other person dropped hints about Santos' drag performer past before.
Brazilian LGBTQ+ activist Bruna Benevides directed political strategist and commentator Ana Navarro to ask about Santos' past as "Kitara Ravache" in a post last month after Navarro joked Santos would only be ousted by the Republican Party if he turned out to be a drag queen.
Navarro's post was a jab about the pushback against drag performers amid the ongoing "groomer" rhetoric being spouted by the right-wing.
You can see the post below.
\u201c@ananavarro ask him about "Kitara Ravache"\u201d— Ana Navarro-C\u00e1rdenas (@Ana Navarro-C\u00e1rdenas) 1672328884
Santos impugned the media and denied the story altogether, calling it "categorically false" and adding he will "not be distracted or fazed by this."
\u201cThe most recent obsession from the media claiming that I am a drag Queen or \u201cperformed\u201d as a drag Queen is categorically false.\n\nThe media continues to make outrageous claims about my life while I am working to deliver results.\n\nI will not be distracted nor fazed by this.\u201d— George Santos (@George Santos) 1674134414
However, his attempts to distance himself from the story have only amplified it and people have continued to criticize him.
\u201c@saletan @Santos4Congress nice catch\u201d— George Santos (@George Santos) 1674134414
\u201ceasily the best headline i\u2019ve ever seen\u201d— pudding person (@pudding person) 1674145259
\u201c@phileil @MarisaKabas \u2018I didn\u2019t do it and I promise it will never happen again .\u2019\u201d— Marisa Kabas (@Marisa Kabas) 1674155973
\u201cYou lie so much it\u2019s scary\u201d— jayla \ud83c\udf80 (@jayla \ud83c\udf80) 1674149875
\u201cWHY DOES HE LIE ABOUT EVERYTHING?\u201d— Denise Eff (@Denise Eff) 1674149888
\u201cIt\u2019s funny because the media is more honest than you are\u201d— \ud835\udd3c\ud835\udd5d\ud835\udd5d\ud835\udd5a\ud835\udd60\ud835\udd65 \ud835\udd44\ud835\udd52\ud835\udd5d\ud835\udd5a\ud835\udd5f (@\ud835\udd3c\ud835\udd5d\ud835\udd5d\ud835\udd5a\ud835\udd60\ud835\udd65 \ud835\udd44\ud835\udd52\ud835\udd5d\ud835\udd5a\ud835\udd5f) 1674141523
\u201cDear Person. I dont know what your real name is anymore. Stop the clown show and resign. You are truly embarrassing and making a mockery of our democracy. #ResignNowGeorge\u201d— Carlos Cardona (@Carlos Cardona) 1674144014
\u201cBabygirl this is just your face this tweet is not gonna fool anyone\u201d— Pink! \ud83d\udc00 (@Pink! \ud83d\udc00) 1674149622
Kabas spoke to MSNBC's Chris Hayes about the path and purpose of Santos' lies.
\u201ci talked to @chrislhayes last night about how george santos\u2019 lies were carefully chosen to create an avatar of who he thought long island republicans would respect\u201d— Marisa Kabas (@Marisa Kabas) 1674157451
The freshman GOP Congressman currently faces backlash over his handling of a GoFundMe for a disabled veteran's service dog.
He may also face charges.
\u201cQueens DA's office to me on Santos and the dying dog's GoFundMe:\n\n"While as a matter of course we don\u2019t comment on open investigations, we are reviewing whether Queens County has jurisdiction over any potential criminal offenses."\n\nMy latest, @LawCrimeNews https://t.co/u9CNu3q0um\u201d— Adam Klasfeld (@Adam Klasfeld) 1674152789
Santos is already wanted in Brazil for fraud.
Brazilian authorities said they're reviving a fraud case against him regarding the theft of a checkbook he used to purchase $700 of items in a clothing store in 2008.
In 2010, Santos confessed to check fraud charges in Brazil but failed to appear in court, leaving the case unresolved. After The New York Times published its investigation, Rio de Janeiro state prosecutors announced they were reviving the fraud charges because Santos' whereabouts had become known.