Rep. George Santos (R- N.Y.) accidentally identified himself as a Democrat in an official congressional statement on Tuesday.
Santos, who was slapped with 13 different criminal charges including counts of wire fraud and money laundering earlier this year, has been accused of lying about – or completely making up – much of his professed background.
He issued a statement Tuesday saying he had introduced legislation "to require fire safety training" after a Democratic lawmaker was seen on video pulling a fire alarm.
"Recent events revealed that there is a need for members to familiarize themselves with basic fire safety training," Santos wrote in the statement. "Some members may not realize the consequences of pulling a fire alarm under false pretenses, so we need to make sure that these legislators learn to spot potential dangers, evaluate risks involved, take preventative measures, and know what to do in the event of a real emergency."
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However, something stood out about this statement. It specifically identified Santos as "George Santos (D-NY03)," labeling the Republican as harboring an opposing philosophy. Some of his followers noticed the mistake.
"Are you a Democrat now," one wrote.
Six hours later, Santos issued a correction identifying himself as a Republican. He also addressed the change and took a jab at Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY).
"Sorry, I mistook the D for an R, similar to how someone might mistake a bright-red fire alarm with the word 'FIRE' for an open-door button," he added Tuesday.
