Controversial New York Congressman George Santos’ district office at 242-09 Northern Blvd. in Douglaston is officially open, approximately two weeks after the admitted liar was sworn into office.
Prior to the office’s official opening, several protests had been held at the site demanding Santos’ resignation or expulsion from Congress.
At least two staffers were working at the location when QNS visited the office on Thursday afternoon, Jan. 19. Much of the work they were doing involved answering calls and while cubicles had been set up inside, there was still more on the docket in terms of preparing the office, according to one of the staffers. This included replacing the signage to indicate it as Santos’ office rather than former Congressman Tom Suozzi’s, as the exterior still bears Suozzi’s name.
The staffers on hand would not take any questions from QNS regarding when Santos may visit the office, instead providing contact information for Santos’ media team.
The office opening comes right after new accusations about Santos’ past have surfaced.
Earlier this week, Santos was accused of pocketing the $3,000 raised from a GoFundMe campaign to pay for the lifesaving surgery of a then-homeless veteran’s dog, running off with the money and ducking calls from the veteran for an extended period of time. Santos has previously been caught lying about running a nonprofit, Friends of Pets United, that he claimed helped several animals. On Thursday, Santos denied the allegation on Twitter.
“The reports that I would let a dog die is shocking & insane,” Santos wrote on Twitter. “My work in animal advocacy was the labor of love & hard work. Over the past 24hr I have received pictures of dogs I helped rescue throughout the years along with supportive messages. These distractions won’t stop me!”
The reports that I would let a dog die is shocking & insane. My work in animal advocacy was the labor of love & hard work. Over the past 24hr I have received pictures of dogs I helped rescue throughout the years along with supportive messages.
These distractions won’t stop me!
— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) January 19, 2023
Santos has also recently been accused of being a drag queen while living in Brazil, going by the name “Kitara.” The drag queen performer who made this claim also made a photo available of the two together. Despite the fact that it does appear to be Santos in the photo, he also denied these allegations on Twitter.
“The most recent obsession from the media claiming that I am a drag Queen or ‘performed’ as a drag Queen is categorically false,” Santos tweeted Thursday morning. “The media continues to make outrageous claims about my life while I am working to deliver results. I will not be distracted nor fazed by this.”
The most recent obsession from the media claiming that I am a drag Queen or “performed” as a drag Queen is categorically false.
The media continues to make outrageous claims about my life while I am working to deliver results.
I will not be distracted nor fazed by this.
— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) January 19, 2023
The person who made the photo available goes by the drag queen name Eula Rochard. Rochard claimed to have been friends with Santos since they met in the mid-2000s. Rochard claims the photo of the two is from a pride parade in 2008. While Santos has claimed to be openly gay for a long time, court records have revealed that he had previously been married to a woman, with the two finalizing a divorce in 2019.
With the congressional office now open, it remains to be seen how constituents will view it. Due to the congressman’s reputation as a lying con man, many residents within the district have expressed concern that he won’t be able to get anything done in or for the district. Now, they have the opportunity to put that theory to the test by going to the office and asking for him to address certain community issues.
