New York Republican Representative George Santos was mocked online after he launched a personal attack on a possible Democratic rival only for it to backfire spectacularly.
Josh Lafazan, a member of the Nassau County Legislature from the 18th district, called out Santos in a tweet on April 15, referring to the lies he has allegedly told and the scandals surrounding him. Lafazan, who is Jewish, also took a shot at Santos’ education, stating his diploma from Harvard University “is real.”
Lafazan had responded to an attack from Santos, who'd accused him of having "swindled young women for political contributions," noting that Lafazan received substantial support from cryptocurrency interests, including discraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's Protect Our Future political action committee (PAC).
You can see Lafazan's tweet below.
\u201cUnlike @Santos4Congress, I didn\u2019t have to lie to get elected. My credentials are clean, I\u2019m actually Jewish, & unlike yours, my diploma from Harvard is real \ud83d\ude00\n\nDonate to my campaign to get this serial liar George Santos out of the house \u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f\n\nhttps://t.co/IJUR80KfSl\u201d— Josh Lafazan (@Josh Lafazan) 1681585173
In response, Santos stooped to a new low and attacked Lafazan’s appearance by sharing a photo of him and mocking his chin.
You can see Santos' tweet below.
\u201cReal like your chin?\u201d— George Santos (@George Santos) 1681587714
However, Lafazan didn’t back down and responded to him with the following message:
“Corrective jaw surgery helped me breathe normally and saved my life. My insurance covered it and it’s why I’m fighting so hard for universal health care."
"You are beneath the office you hold and I can’t wait to replace you in Congress, in 2024 or sooner. Send postcards from jail.”
You can see Lafazan's tweet below.
\u201cCorrective jaw surgery helped me breathe normally & saved my life. My insurance covered it, & it\u2019s why I\u2019m fighting so hard for universal health care\n\nYou are beneath the office you hold. And I can\u2019t wait to replace you in Congress, in 2024 or sooner.\n\nSend postcards from jail \ud83d\udc4b\u201d— Josh Lafazan (@Josh Lafazan) 1681588529
Many echoed Lafazan's criticisms of Santos.
\u201c@JoshLafazan @Santos4Congress is a fraud who tweets garbage and disables his replies. A coward and he knows it.\u201d— Josh Lafazan (@Josh Lafazan) 1681588529
\u201c@JoshLafazan @MarkHarrisNYC I'm sorry Santos is such an awful person and so abusive. Thank you for telling your story and clapping back. Good luck.\u201d— Josh Lafazan (@Josh Lafazan) 1681588529
\u201c@JoshLafazan You know that kind, compassionate, loving people support you, Josh. And you\u2019re about to have significantly more. And yes, Anthony George Santos Ravache Devolder Zabrozsky Washington John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, or whoever he is, is way beneath you. Ignore him.\u201d— Josh Lafazan (@Josh Lafazan) 1681588529
Others criticized Santos more directly.
\u201c@Santos4Congress Ad hominem is the lowest anyone can stoop.\u201d— George Santos (@George Santos) 1681587714
\u201c@Santos4Congress It's ok to accept your flaws, George. You don't *have* to lie, pretend, perform or keep up appearances to become well-liked or influential.\u201d— George Santos (@George Santos) 1681587714
\u201c@Santos4Congress You are SO disgusting. Resign.\u201d— George Santos (@George Santos) 1681587714
\u201c@Santos4Congress Many of us hadn\u2019t heard about Josh until you tweeted this.\nNow he\u2019s got the support of thousands all over the country.\n\nYou just blew any chance you had left of re-election.\n\nYou should have deleted this tweet!\u201d— George Santos (@George Santos) 1681587714
Santos has been mired in scandal since New York Times reporters unearthed multiple lies he'd told about his life story.
He now faces ethics investigations amid allegations he violated campaign finance law as well as a separate fraud inquiry in Brazil, where he used to reside.
Although Santos admitted to "embellishing" his résumé and questions remain about his education, work history and even his source of income, he has not heeded calls to step down from Congress, instead assuring GOP officials he will not run in 2024.
However, the political landscape in New York is heating up now that Santos has backtracked and officially announced his intention to run again, defying the calls from some Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Lafazan later responded to the news by reiterating that Santos is "a liar" and "a fraud" who "belongs in prison, not the House of Representatives."
He urged people to vote for his campaign to "replace Santos in Congress" in a tweet you can see below.
\u201c\ud83d\udea8 Breaking: George Santos has officially announced that he\u2019s running for re-election.\n\nSantos is a liar and a fraud. He belongs in prison, not the House of Representatives.\n\nMy name is Josh Lafazan and I\u2019m the Democrat who will replace Santos in Congress.\u201d— Josh Lafazan (@Josh Lafazan) 1681759684
According to sources, senior members of the Republican Party in Washington have informed their colleagues that they will not endorse Santos as their nominee for the seat.
However, despite this opposition, Santos has made it clear that he will not resign early and has already submitted the necessary paperwork in March to run for re-election in 2024.
When asked by CNN about his support for Santos' candidacy, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy responded with a chuckle and stated he "wasn't aware" Santos "had declared." The GOP leader went on to say he will "wait" to see who else files their candidacy.
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