Rep. George Santos adds to the chorus of insults by describing himself as 'simple-minded' in Newsmax interview

Rep. George Santos waits for President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on February 7, 2023.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

• George Santos referred to himself as "simple-minded" in an interview with Newsmax's Greg Kelly.
• The self-own comes shortly after Mitt Romney described him as a "sick puppy" at the SOTU address.
• Santos was responding to a question about concerns surrounding his campaign finances.

Rep. George Santos' political opponents have called him a "sociopath," a "total fraud," and "a sick puppy" in recent weeks. But in an interview on Thursday, the freshman congressman added to the growing list of insults by describing himself in equally unflattering terms.

Santos, who is under fire for fabricating elements of his personal and work history, referred to himself as "simple-minded" in a wide-ranging interview with Newsmax's "Greg Kelly Reports."

His comment came in response to a question about campaign finances. The unknown source of sizable loans to Santos' 2022 congressional campaign have led to concerns over potential campaign-finance violations.

Responding to Kelly's question, Santos said the money was all legitimately obtained through his company, and that he then loaned it to the campaign.

"I was all-in on this ... this is about getting stuff done, having somebody like me coming to represent other people just like me: simple-minded folks who come from absolutely nothing and have a voice in Congress."

Santos was also grilled by Newsmax about false claims he made about graduating from college, which he later admitted were lies.

Santos told the broadcaster: "Look, Greg, here's the deal. I would have never got the nomination from Nassau County GOP if I had not concluded college. That was really the main driver because of the way and the nature of their politics over there, it's just plain and simple."

He also referenced a tense exchange with Sen. Mitt Romney during Tuesday's State of the Union address.

Santos told Semafor's Kadia Goba that Romney called him an "ass," although CNN reported that Romney simply told Santos: "You don't belong here."

"When Mitt Romney told me I didn't belong here, this isn't the first or will it be the last time when somebody told me I didn't belong," Santos told Newsmax. "I fought to stay and be represented and be heard and that's exactly what I'm going to continue to do."

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