George Santos, the Republican congressman expelled last week by the US House of Representatives, is now selling videos on the Cameo website.
Mr Santos, who labels himself a “former congressional ‘Icon'” on the platform, is selling personalised messages recorded by him for $200 (£159) each. On Friday, he became the sixth lawmaker in history to be kicked out of the House.
It came after a damning House ethics report accused him of fraud and lies. Among its many allegations, the panel accused him of spending campaign money on Botox treatments, credit card debt and OnlyFans – a platform where users pay for content, including pornography.
On Mr Santos's Cameo profile he describes himself as “the Expelled member of Congress from New York City”.
Cameo is a service that allows fans to buy personal video messages from their favourite celebrities. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman posted one video he paid the New Yorker for, in which Mr Santos offers advice to another New Jersey Senator Sen Bob Menendez, a Democrat, who faces bribery charges.
“Hey Bobby,” exclaimed a grinning Mr Santos. “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!”
Other videos posted by the ex-congressman focussed on everyday matters, offering advice on beauty treatments and gym routines. In one video, the former Long Island congressman advises a customer that “Botox keeps you young, fillers keeps you plump”.
“Don't let the haters get to you. Haters gonna hate. And if you have haters, that means you're doing something right, girl,” he encourages in another.
In another video message he wishes a former constituent a happy birthday, and tells an injured gym fan: “I love that your siblings call you the Chaos Child because that's how I'm known in my house, so we have that in common.”
All of the sample videos appear to have been shot from the same angle, with a plant and bookshelf in the background. According to US media, Mr Santos had previously been selling the videos for $75 before raising the price to $150, and then again to $200.
He isn't the first politician to sell content on the website, though. Former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin also sells videos on the site, revealing in a congressional disclosure last year that she had earned a whopping $211,529 dollars from the platform.
And in the UK, former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage caused controversy after he read out comments supporting the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in a message in 2021.
Questions have been raised about Mr Santos' future. He had no previous experience in politics when he was elected 11 months ago, and he has suggested that he could now go on to appear on reality TV programme Dancing with the Stars.
— CutC by bbc.com
