Debunking Santos’ lies has become a full-time job. He lied about where he went to college, where he worked, and he even tried to mislead voters about being Jewish, calling himself “Jew-ish.” (He’s Catholic!!)
But is it possible he’s finally crossed the line for Republican leadership?
On Thursday, GoFundMe told CBS News that they had kicked Santos off the platform for allegedly pocketing thousands of dollars from a donation drive for a veteran’s ailing service dog.
Richard Osthoff, a U.S. Navy Veteran, says that Santos pretended to run a pet charity under the fake name “Anthony Devolder.”
It’s worth noting that Santos has previously used the alias, Anthony Devolder.
Osthoff told Patch News that he was living with his dog in a tent in an abandoned chicken coop when his service dog, Sapphire, developed a stomach tumor.
He says that he was referred to “Anthony Devolder” by a vet technician. According to Osthoff, “Anthony Devolder” closed the GoFundMe after raising $3,000 to “help” Sapphire.
I’m sure you can see where this is going. Osthoff said he never heard from his mysterious benefactor again.
Osthoff was later told that the dog’s tumor was inoperable, but when he asked about the money and whether it could be used to help other sick dogs, his messages were ignored.
Osthoff’s dog died and he couldn’t even afford to euthanize or cremate him.
According to the New York Times, officials have been unable to find a registered charity under the name “Anthony Devolder,” provided on the GoFundMe.
At this point, the dog charity scandal is still just in the allegation phase. But my questions is, if it’s true, would it be enough to get Republican leadership to do something?
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has not only resisted calls to investigate Santos he gave the man a committee seat. (Probably doesn’t hurt that Santos voted for McCarthy in the contentious Speaker’s race).
But come on, Republicans claim to care about Veterans. And Americans are insanely overprotective about their dogs. (No shade: I love dogs).
Does allegedly stealing from an unhoused veteran with an ailing service dog not cross some kind of ethical boundary here?
All I’m saying is, if this turns out to be true, you’d hope it would be difficult for Republican leaders to justify this level of cartoon villany. Sadly, this man likely has an uncomfortably long time in politics ahead of him.