Torres jokes he will be last ‘Jew-ish gay Latino’ congressman from NY post-Santos

Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat, joked that he would be the last “Jew-ish gay Latino” representing New York in Congress after Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) announced Thursday he will not run for reelection in 2024.

“George Santos, who illegally spent campaign funds on porn sites and Botox, has announced he is no longer seeking re-election,” Torres posted Thursday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “I will be the sole surviving Jew-ish gay Latino Congressman from New York.”

Torres is not Jewish but has been a strong supporter of Israel throughout his term in Congress. He was one of 22 Democrats to vote for the censure of fellow Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) for her criticism of Israel’s deadly response to the Hamas terrorist attack Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,000 Israelis.

Santos had claimed that his maternal grandparents are Jewish and fled persecution during World War II and later settled in Brazil. Reports about genealogy records emerged later that showed his grandparents were born in Brazil before the Nazis gained power.

“I never claimed to be Jewish,” Santos said of the revelations. “I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’”

The questions about his family history came amid a deluge of fabrications Santos made about his life and resume, including his educational and professional history. He also faces various conspiracy and fraud charges related to his campaign financing.

Santos announced he would not run for reelection next year following the release of a House Ethics Committee report that said he “cannot be trusted” and “at nearly every opportunity, he placed his desire for private gain above his duty to uphold the Constitution, federal law, and ethical principles.”

“I will continue on my mission to serve my constituents up until I am allowed. I will however NOT be seeking re-election for a second term in 2024 as my family deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time,” Santos wrote on X.

The Ethics Committee report said the controversial New York congressman “blatantly stole from his campaign” and “deceived donors into providing what they thought were contributions to his campaign but were in fact payments for his personal benefit.”