GOP candidate deletes social media after George Santos raises child grooming allegations
Former GOP lawmaker George Santos took a moment on Sunday to call out a fellow Republican for alleged acts of child grooming, resulting in the individual deleting his social media account.
Santos, who was ejected from the House for his own moral misdeeds, said the allegations against Ryan Cook are "staggering." Cook is purportedly running for GOP precinct chair in Nacogdoches County.
"Let me be very clear. As a gay man I know the difficult task it is to thread the very fine line of upholding conservative values and understanding who I am within the conservative movement," Santos said on Sunday. "One thing I will say is that I loath pedophiles and will never stay silent when someone is a risk to society."
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Santos goes on to say the allegations against Cook "are staggering and troubling."
"I pressed him on the issue today and he defended himself by resorting to the TX consent statute. (17 to consent to sexual relations). It is my understanding that is what most predators do to justify their actions towards minors," Santos wrote. "I served in the house of reps and I got to meet many people among them was a group of dedicated Teen Republicans who at a very young age display a lot of determination and character, it was alarming to me when I saw Ryan followed a great deal of them so I instantly notified one of their leaders to take action to keep the Teen GOP crew safe!"
Santos then continued:
"Let this be known, if Ryan doesn’t refute and prove these allegations to be false then it is my strong belief he should not move forward with his futile campaign to be. Precent leader in TX!"
Raw Story checked for Cook's X account, which appears to have been deleted. That finding was echoed by a MAGA account that suggested the candidate "has deactivated his account."
"Ryan Cook attempted to groom a 16 year old on X, and more potential victims are starting to come forward," the MAGA profile added. "Cook worked for the 2022 DeSantis campaign, as well as the Never Back Down PAC. Ron DeSantis must disavow."