John Fetterman trolls ‘sinister’ Bob Menendez with George Santos Cameo
With Christmas fast approaching, Sen. John Fetterman decided to surprise his embattled colleague Bob Menendez with a little gift from a familiar face.
Fetterman (D-Pa.) sent Menendez (D-NJ) a Cameo from lying former Long Island Rep. George Santos (R-NY) in a backhanded bid to lift his spirits.
“Hey Bobby, look, I don’t think I need to tell you, but these people that want to make you get in trouble and want to kick you out and make you run away — you make them put up or shut up,” a smiling and gleeful-sounding Santos said in his Cameo.
“You stand your ground, sir, and don’t get bogged down by all the haters out there,” the 35-year-old concluded. “Stay strong and Merry Christmas!”
Fetterman, who was the first Senate Democrat to demand Menendez’s resignation after his September indictment on corruption charges, paid for the Cameo with campaign funds, a source familiar with the matter told The Post.
Santos, who has christened himself a “Former Congressional Icon,” has taken to Cameo, a platform where celebrities record personalized messages to anyone willing to pay up, in order to make ends meet.
The disgraced former congressman’s Cameos were selling for about $200 a pop as of Monday evening.
“I thought my ethically-challenged colleague @BobMenendezNJ could use some encouragement given his substantial legal problems. So, I approached a seasoned expert on the matter to give ‘Bobby from Jersey’ some advice,” Fetterman wrote on X.
Santos responded by suggesting he was in on the joke, posting sarcastically: “I love this! I wish I knew the Bobby in question! LOL.”
Ironically, Santos had defended Menendez during his brief stint in Congress.
“Due process is important. He has a right to defend himself. He’s innocent until proven guilty. The media has to stop acting like everyone is guilty before they are judged by a jury,” Santos told an NBC reporter following the senator’s indictment.
Santos was expelled from Congress Dec. 1, becoming the first House lawmaker to get the boot in more than two decades, and sixth House member ever.
His expulsion came on the heels of a damning report from the House Committee on Ethics that found the lawmaker “blatantly stole” campaign funds, among other misdeeds.
The House voted 311-114 to boot Santos, who is also facing a 23-count federal indictment for alleged campaign money embezzlement, defrauding donors and more. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Following Santos’ ouster, Fetterman publicly asked why Menendez was allowed to remain in the Senate while he awaits his own day in court.
“We have a colleague in the Senate that actually does much more sinister and serious kinds of things … If you are going to expel Santos, how can you allow somebody like Menendez to remain in the Senate?” Fetterman pondered on “The View”.
“I think [he] is really a senator for Egypt, not New Jersey,” the Pennsylvanian added of his colleague.
Menendez and his wife Nadine stand accused of accepting $486,461 worth of cash payments and $150,000 in gold bars as well as a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible to help businessmen Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes.
Prosecutors allege the senator used his political influence to meddle in investigations revolving around his wealthy buddies, pass sensitive security information to agents of the Egyptian government, and lobby for the Arab state to receive US military aid.
Menendez has denied wrongdoing and previously survived a separate indictment on other corruption charges by the skin of his teeth due to a hung jury.
This time around, he is up for reelection in the 2024 cycle and is already facing a stiff primary challenge from progressive Rep. Andy Kim and New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy — while resisting calls to resign.
Menendez’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
