Santos denies performing as a drag queen

Embattled first-term Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) has denied reports that he competed in a drag queen beauty pageant in Brazil as he faces a slew of federal investigations into accusations of lying and possible issues with campaign fundraising. 

“The most recent obsession from the media claiming that I am a drag Queen or ‘performed’ as a drag Queen is categorically false,” Santos wrote in a tweet on Wednesday, lashing out at the media for continued reporting about his life as he says he is trying to get work done in Congress.

“The media continues to make outrageous claims about my life while I am working to deliver results,” Santos added. “I will not be distracted nor fazed by this.” 

Santos’s remarks come after two former acquaintances of his told Reuters in a story published Wednesday that the 34-year-old lawmaker has participated in drag queen contests and cross-dressed in gay pride events in Brazil. 

One of the acquaintances also told the newswire that Santos, who defeated Democrat Robert Zimmerman in New York’s 3rd Congressional District in November’s midterm elections, aspired to be Miss Gay Rio de Janeiro.

The story is the latest in the saga around Santos as New York-based lawmakers have called for  Santos to resign from his position in Congress. 

Santos, who is openly gay, is currently facing investigations from federal authorities over potential campaign finance violations and an investigation from Nassau County over the fabrications and lies he made during his campaign.

Santos is accused of lying about a range of topics, including inventing his professional résumé as a Wall Street financier, claiming to be Jewish and have grandparents who escaped the Holocaust, claiming to have played volleyball for a university he did not attend and stating that he ran a charity that saved animals.

Despite the calls for his resignation, Santos has remained defiant. House GOP leadership on Tuesday assigned Santos to two committees related to small business and science.