Everybody’s favorite dissembler, Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), probably should just stop talking to anybody, especially disgraced former reporters with a history of relying on surreptitious recordings.
But Santos hasn’t learned his lesson from months of scandal, and he has stepped in it even further after a former reporter who tried to get a job on Santos’ staff leaked audio of a recording between himself and the congressman.
Before we get to Santos’ recording, here’s some background on the leaker. David Myers is a former reporter who got into some trouble of his own before volunteering with and angling for a job on Santos’ staff.
“A local news reporter from Ohio, Myers faced unusual criminal charges last year after he published surreptitiously recorded audio of courtroom testimony that he said he obtained from a source,” explains Talking Points Memo (TPM).
Myers met with Santos on Monday, Jan. 30, and surreptitiously recorded the meeting. In the meeting, Santos declined to hire Myers because of his troubled history, so Myers decided to channel his inner James O’Keefe and turned the audio over to TPM.
At the meeting, Santos admitted his awareness of Myers’ past, even joking with his chief of staff Charley Lovett, who was also present, that Myers could be recording the meeting.
“From my understanding, recording in this building is a federal crime, and you get seven years,” Santos told Myers. “Have fun at your peril!”
At one point, Santos told Myers that his propensity for looseness with the truth caused him to let down people he trusts, specifically Lovell.
“I trust this guy with everything,” he said, referring to Lovell. “And I’ve obviously f***ed up and lied to him like I lied to everyone else.”
Related: Just When You Think George Santos Couldn’t Get Any Worse
The conversation took some bizarre turns, as when Santos gushed over Myers’ $2 tie from a thrift store and when the congressman and reporter bonded over their use of Botox.
Myers explained to Santos that he relied on the illegal court recording for the report that got him in trouble because he was in Colombia for a cheap Botox treatment.
“Stop going to Colombia for your diluted Botox,” Santos replied.
When Myers explained that he paid $100 for Botox in Colombia instead of $400 in the U.S., Santos admitted, “I spend a lot more than that on Botox.”
It’s obvious we’re not dealing with serious men here.
At another point in the meeting, Santos interrupted Myers to gush that “Don Lemon just texted me — I’m sorry, I’m listening to you — Don Lemon just texted me!” Myers told TPM that the interruption was “insulting” and that it “hurt [his] feelings.”
The New York Post reports of Myers, “He justified going public with the recording because of the congressman’s hypocrisy in questioning Myers’ trustworthiness while constantly getting accused of his own lies.”
Myers also issued a statement via an attorney on Thursday night. In it, he lauded Santos’ staff members for carrying on doing the work of constituents while Santos maintains an infamous place in the spotlight.
“While the Congressman was duly elected and it appears he campaigned under false pretenses and may be dealing with his own personal doings, the constituents of the district should find peace in knowing that [Press Secretary] Gabby [Lipsky], Legislative Director Rafael Carone, and Operations Director Vish Burra are doing what is right by the constitution, the institution, and by the people, even if their boss is arguably distracted,” the statement reads in part. “The office is carrying on with the staff at the helm and the three of them are doing a great job for the people.”
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