Two years into lying Long Island Rep. George Santos’ marriage and one year into his congressional career, many facts about his husband remain a mystery.
Santos, who is facing expulsion from the House of Representatives, first mentioned his spouse, “Matt,” by name in September while expressing his sympathies to the family of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
“My husband Matt and I are heart broken [sic] by the news of the passing of Senator Feinstein,” he wrote at the time on X.
“Our condolences to the Feinstein family as they grieve this grave loss.”
Social media users were left baffled by the message, with Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s former communications director Tim Hogan asking, “Did George Santos just hard launch his husband… with the passing of Senator Feinstein?”
Santos wrote in a follow-up post that he is the “first openly gay Republican to be elected to Congress,” joking that in New York City, “coming out as a gay man was easier than coming out as a Republican.”
After more and more X users questioned the Republican congressman about his relationship status, Santos decided to speak out.
“For those wondering and going nuts, this is Matt, my husband since Nov. 2021,” he posted on Oct. 2, sharing a photo of him with a thin, tan man in a blue suit, which Santos said was taken during Congress’ new member orientation in late 2022.
“I’m not sure where all the ‘hard launch’ comments came from,” the lawmaker wrote. “Or maybe it’s just that people are starting to understand they got played by the media with all the nonsense they wrote about me?
“Nonetheless, have a fantastic time pretending the media depiction of me is correct.”
Santos had never publicly mentioned a husband named Matt before — with only one mention of his partner appearing in a Brazilian news outlet in 2020.
That report stated that Santos was living in Whitestone, Queens, with a man named Matheus Gerard, then 24, and their four golden retrievers.
The same outlet also claimed the couple had planned to get married in April 2020, but delayed their nuptials due to the pandemic.
Santos then mentioned in January 2021 that he was engaged, but did not name his partner.
“My fiancé and I had to leave our home this evening with our four dogs thanks to the @nytimes publishing of my Instagram showing me attending the #MarALago New Year’s Eve party,” he posted on social media.
“My fiance, a pharmacist who worked 12 hr/7 day shifts for nine months, was fired!” he claimed. “The violence against us is real.”
When Santos eventually ran for Congress in 2022, his campaign initially said he was living with his husband and their four dogs on Long Island — but that claim was later scrubbed from the website.
Meanwhile, questions swirled about Santos’ relationship as it was revealed that he previously announced an engagement to a man named “Pedro” while he was still legally married to a woman in Brazil.
“Good evening everyone! As you all may already know Pedro and I have decided to join our toothbrushes! Lol and a very few friends have been selected to share this special moment with us!,” Santos wrote in a 2014 Facebook invite shared with the Daily Beast by Santos’ old roommate, Greg Morey-Parker.
Pedro Vilarva, who was 18 when he met the then-26-year-old future congressman in 2014, also confirmed to the outlet that Santos invited friends to celebrate their engagement in November of that year — even though he never accepted his proposal.
“Thanks for sharing this very important day in our lives,” Santos wrote on Facebook of the planned Nov. 23 celebration at La Bonne Soupe in Midtown Manhattan.
However, the party “never happened” because Vilarva repeatedly rejected Santos’ proposals, he told the outlet.
“He asked me 3x but I didn’t accept it,” Santos’ former lover told the Beast via text message.
“There was never a party [or] anything in regards to it.”
Confusingly, the public invite came just two years into Santos’ legal marriage to Uadla Vieira Santos, a Brazilian woman whom his housemates rarely saw and only knew as “a friend,” according to the Daily Beast.
Santos, who admitted in December last year to making up most of his purported background, is now charged by federal prosecutors with embezzlement and fraud. Earlier this month, the House Ethics Committee released a report that concluded that the congressman “blatantly stole” from campaign funds and committed numerous ethics violations.
The report flagged jarring expenses Santos seemingly paid for with donor money, including OnlyFans subscriptions, Botox purchases, trips to Las Vegas and Atlantic City, and a shopping spree at the luxury brand Hermés.
Santos blasted the ethics panel’s findings during a floor speech Tuesday, arguing that it was “incomplete, irresponsible and littered with hyperbole and littered with bias opinions.”
Despite the turmoil, Santos made time Thursday to acknowledge his second anniversary
“Two years since we said ‘I do,’” he posted.
“Happy anniversary to my partner in life and to my rock who has not skipped a beat over the past few months. Thank you for being the most amazing spouse!
“Love you to the moon and back.”
