Video Surfaces of George Santos Calling Himself ‘Anthony Devolder’ in 2019 – Seriously, What Even Is This Guy’s Name?
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call
It’s just another day in the ongoing saga of Rep. George Santos (R-NY), the freshman congressman who is currently living a real-life Catch Me If You Can reboot no one asked for.
Five weeks after being elected to represent New York’s third congressional district, a New York Times report revealed Santos lied about where he worked, where he went to school, running a charity, owning several properties, being Jewish, and inventing the moon.
(Ok, so I made the last one up.)
Santos also faces questions about a $705,000 loan he gave his campaign in 2022. Mind you, this came after he reported no assets and a $55,000 salary on a disclosure form when unsuccessfully he ran for Congress in 2020. He is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Nassau County district attorney. He is also being investigated by authorities in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for allegedly stealing a checkbook there in 2008.
On Friday, the Twitter account PatriotTakes tweeted a clip of Santos from 2019 at a “Walk Away LGBT” event in New York.
“So, my name’s Anthony Devolder,” Santos says. “I’m a New York City resident. I recently founded a group called United for Trump.”
Curiously, the only hits a Google search returns for “United for Trump” and “Devolder” relate to the above tweet. The group – if it existed at all – seems to have had no online presence whatsoever.
Now, it should be pointed out that Santos has said his full name is George Anthony Devolder Santos.
But, like, is it?
After all, we have yet to see a birth certificate.
It appears the only thing we have to go on his Santos’ word, which, I don’t know about you, doesn’t seem entirely credible.
So who or what exactly is responsible for making sure incoming members of Congress are who they say they are and meet the constitutional requirements to serve?
Apparently, no one.
Last week, VICE published an incredible piece on this very topic. The gist is, shall we say, suboptimal:
The office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives tells VICE News it’s not their job to check, New York State’s election board says it wasn’t their job and isn’t their problem now, and neither House Republicans or Democrats have anything to say on the matter. The question would perhaps go to the House Ethics Committee, but it points to the House Administration Committee, which for its part points back to the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Experts said that no one is missing anything and that in fact no one is really in charge.
“No one is really in charge.”
Outstanding.
Santos was supposedly born in Queens to a Brazilian mother with the last name Devolder and a Brazilian father with the last name Santos. But again, it’s unclear if he really was born in Queens or even in the United States, where one needs to be a citizen for at least seven years in order to serve in the House.
Anyway, as long as George Santos/Anthony Devolder/Art Vandelay remains in Congress, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will almost certainly continue getting grilled about the freshman’s presence in the GOP conference.
That in itself might actually make this whole sideshow worth it – at least for Democrats.
CORRECTION: This article originally stated Santos claimed to have been born in Brazil. It has been changed to reflect the fact he says he was born in Queens. But again, who really knows with this guy?
