Santos Awkwardly Dodges Gaetz’s Question on His Dubious Campaign Finances

Serial liar George Santos was lobbed some questions during an appearance on Steve Bannon’s podcast on Thursday—but he still managed to struggle painfully to answer a simple question on his campaign financing, the Daily Beast reports. Santos personally loaned his campaign $700,000 despite reporting in 2020 that he had just $55,000 to his name. Far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who was filling in as host while Bannon appeared in court on money laundering charges, twice asked Santos where the $700,000 came from. “Well, I’ll tell you where it didn’t come from, it didn’t come for China, Ukraine, or Burisma, how about that?” Santos said, to which Gaetz asked if there’s anything else he could say about “the work you did that’s the origin of those resources.”

Santos replied, “Look, I’ve worked my entire life, I’ve lived an honest life, I’ve never been uh, ah, accused suit of any, um, bad doing, so, you know, it’s my, it’s the equity of my hard-working self that I’ve invested inside of me.” Santos told Gaetz he’d only resign at the behest of the 142,000 New Yorkers who voted for him.