Notorious political troublemaker Rep. George Santos (R-NY) has caused a stir after comparing himself to civil rights icon Rosa Parks, leaving many social media critics bewildered at the truth-averse congressman’s new level of self-righteousness.
A clip went viral Monday morning of Santos sitting in the backseat of a vehicle while being interviewed last week for Mike Crispi’s rightwing political podcast “Unafraid,” explaining how he handles Republican dissenters.
“They come for me, I go right back for them,” Santos said, “because they think for far too long they’ve gotten away with getting along to get along. So, no. It’s not going to stay that way anymore. I’m going to call them out: ‘You wanna call me a liar? I’ll call you a sellout.’”
ADVERTISEMENT
Then, Santos blasted Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) for instructing him to not sit at the top of the aisle for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union in February. (Romney later said he called Santos an “ass” who doesn’t “belong here.”) Santos, being Latino and a gay man, said he wasn’t going to do that.
“Well, guess what? Rosa Parks didn’t sit in the back, and neither am I going to sit in the back!” Santos proclaimed. “That’s just the reality of how it works.”
People within the political sphere immediately jumped on social media to break down the odd comparison.
“Santos is not Rosa Parks,” former New York state senator Anna Kaplan wrote on Twitter. “He is a fraud and an embarrassment to our district.”
“What an absolute disgrace,” tweeted lawyer and Democratic strategist Aaron Parnas.
“George Santos just compared himself to Rosa Parks,” wrote California Democratic congressional candidate John Burrows. “It’s shameful. It’s embarrassing.”
“You're a liar George,” civil rights journalist Soledad O’Brien said. “You're no Rosa Parks. Go shush your embarrassing self.”
Santos was arrested in May after being indicted on 13 federal charges, including allegedly taking COVID unemployment benefits while receiving a hefty salary in Florida at a company accused of engaging in a Ponzi scheme, misusing campaign funds, and money laundering. He has previously been called out for misrepresenting his Jewish heritage, claiming to be Black, and exaggerating his political resume and education.
Santos did not immediately return The Daily Beast’s request for comment Monday.
