Update: Former Rep. George Santos clarified the viral video of him being assaulted in Times Square was part of an ad for his newly launched podcast, Pants on Fire.
(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) An unidentified man assaulted former Rep. George Santos as he walked down the streets of Times Square in New York, as captured in a viral video shared across social media on Saturday.
The man is seen approaching Santos and throwing an unknown liquid onto his face and shirt. “How do you like that?” the man shouts with a noticeably New York Italian accent.
Before the incident, the man approached the ousted member of Congress, preaching and asking, “This guy has [the] audacity to show his face! Hey, George Santos?”
Santos, seemingly unaware of what was about to happen, turned around and replied, “Hey, what’s up.”
The man then doused Santos with what appeared to be a brown substance. “How do you like that? How do you like that, George? Enjoy!” the man asked.
Deranged leftist dumps brown liquid on George Santos in public
Imagine if people did this to AOC? There would be national outcry
Why does @NYPDHateCrimes allow people to do this on camera?
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) December 14, 2024
Santos is seen astonished by what just happened and asked “What the f*ck is wrong with you? You’re unbelievable. Un-fcking-believable.”
The man, laughing at Santos, said, “I bet you’d like that, George.”
It is unclear what prompted the assault; however, many on X quickly urged the New York Police Department to investigate and take swift action. The former New York congressman has not stated at the time of this piece’s publication.
Santos, a gay Republican, served one term in Congress before being ousted over allegations in a federal campaign finance fraud indictment.
In August 2024, Santos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, agreeing to pay $373,749.97 in restitution and $205,002.97 in forfeiture.
The Republican-led House expelled Santos before his guilty plea. Meanwhile, equally embattled Democrats like former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas., did not receive the same treatment.
Menendez resigned on his own terms after months of controversy, while Cuellar secured reelection in 2024 despite facing scrutiny.
The presumed attack on Santos could be the latest in a string of violent incidents targeting Republicans. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., was reportedly accosted by a radical leftist protester during a D.C. event.
President-elect Donald Trump narrowly survived two assassination attempts while he ran for the presidency in 2024.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., experienced a similar altercation to that of Santos when a woman threw a drink at him in 2023.
In 2022, Republican powerhouse Lee Zeldin was attacked by a man who had what was initially believed to be a two-bladed knuckle knife.
