George Santos Is Apparently Eager to Remind People He Lied About 9/11 Killing His Mom

Among the many lies George Santos has told, one of the biggest concerns his mother and the September 11 attacks. Specifically, the Republican lawmaker’s campaign site said that his mother “was in her office in the south tower” on 9/11 and that that she “passed away a few years later when she lost her battle to cancer,” an illness he has attributed to her presence at Ground Zero that day. In reality, not only are there no records of Santos’s mother working at the World Trade Center—documents show that she was was outside the US between 1999 and 2003. Given this, you might think the newly elected congressman would want to, if at all possible, avoid the topic of 9/11 and definitely not bring it up on his own accord in an incredibly public fashion. But apparently, you’d think wrong!

On Monday, Santos announced on the House floor that his guest at Joe Biden’s State of the Union tonight will be former firefighter Michael Weinstock, who performed rescue work at Ground Zero. According to Weinstock, Santos invited him two weeks ago—i.e. well into his PR shitstorm—and the former firefighter, who is a Democrat, accepted because he is hoping to raise awareness about a neurological condition he is suffering from as a result of his emergency work. “I’m cautiously optimistic that I’ll be able to stay focused enough on the issue of 9/11 responders receiving the health care that they need without being sullied by George Santos,” Weinstock told The New York Times.

So far, things do not appear to be working out as Weinstock had hoped, given that his employer let him go last week over his decision to attend the SOTU with Santos. According to Weinstock, his boss told him: “I know your motivations are pure, but George Santos is so toxic, I don’t want any association with Santos and this firm.”

In an interview, Weinstock told the Times that he first crossed paths with Santos in April 2021, and then reconnected several months later after the former firefighter sustained a foot injury that left him unable to walk for some time. Santos apparently visited him at home, and on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, posted a photo of Weinstock on Instagram, thanking him for his work as a first responder. (At the time, Santos had yet to be caught in the lie that his mother was in the towers on the day of the attack.) Later in his campaign, Santos, Weinstock says, offered to “host a GoFundMe” to help pay for the former firefighter’s medical care. (The condition is not covered by the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides health care to September 11 survivors and Ground Zero responders.) Weinstock told the Times he declined, worrying that Santos would use the fundraiser as part of his campaign. (Note: This was also before Santos was accused of starting a GoFundMe for a homeless veteran’s dying service dog and absconding with the money, a matter that the congressman has denied and is currently under investigation by the FBI.

Speaking to the Times, Weinstock—who says he didn’t vote for Santos—said that the newly elected lawmaker got in touch in December about wanting to sponsor a bill to get his condition covered by the 9/11 health fund, though the issue was “dropped” after Santos’s lies were revealed. (Regarding those, Weinstock has called them “inexcusable.”)

Over the weekend, Santos doubled down on his 9/11 story, insisting in an interview that his mother “died as a result of” the attack and that, despite evidence to the contrary, she was “present, [in] downtown Manhattan” as “the toxic dust that permeated throughout.”