After losing his job as a congressman, George Santos is apparently trying to cash in on his infamy by selling videos on the online service Cameo.
Within the past few days, Santos added a link to the site where a motley assortment of largely lower grade celebrities and influencers sell text messages and personalized videos, to his Twitter page. Santos’ Cameo account bills him as a “Former congressional ‘Icon’!💅🏼” and “the Expelled member of Congress from New York City.” He’s selling “personal” videos for $150 and text messages for $10. Santos did not immediately respond to requests for comment about his new venture.
Santos’ brief political career erupted into scandal shortly after he won a House seat last November when a local newspaper and the New York Times revealed he had lied about several aspects of his professional and personal history. As the spotlight fell on Santos, multiple reports — including several exclusives from TPM — uncovered irregularities in his campaign finances and allegations he ripped off donors’ credit cards. Santos subsequently faced criminal charges and a House Ethics Committee investigation that precipitated his expulsion. He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him and dismissed the Ethics probe as a “slanderous report.”
The various investigations into Santos have painted a picture of him living a high roller lifestyle while operating on financial fumes and allegedly making up the difference by misappropriating campaign funds. Becoming just the sixth person expelled from Congress left Santos without a salary and, if the Cameo is any indication, needing to turn to new inventive sources of income.
Santos is not the first MAGA Republican to join Cameo while facing legal trouble and associated financial issues. Two of President Trump’s top advisers who have been caught up in investigations related to Jan. 6, Roger Stone and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have both operated accounts on the site. Their presence has led to some content that, depending on your viewpoint, is either embarrassing or amazing.
