Embattled GOP Rep George Santos has now come under scrutiny for claiming that he survived an unidentified assassination attempt.
The Republican, who has already admitted to making several lies during his run for Congress, made the wild allegation during an interview with Brazilian podcast “Rádio Novelo Apresenta” last month.
“We have already suffered an attempt on my life, an assassination attempt, a threatening letter, having to have the police – a police escort standing in front of our house,” he claimed.
Mr Santos did not elaborate on the alleged hit plot and is not thought to have mentioned it publicly prior to this. During the interview he also claimed he was mugged in on Fifth Avenue in New York City and that his Florida home was vandalised.
The emergence of the segment comes as Mr Santos became the brunt of jokes at Monday’s White House press briefing.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was speaking about new members of Congress being invited to meet the president, when a reporter quipped: “Is George Santos invited?”
The line drew a laugh from the room, and a remark from Ms Jean-Pierre: “I love how everybody laughed at that”.
