John Fetterman Asked George Santos to Troll Indicted Colleague Bob Menendez on Cameo: 'Put Up or Shut Up'

Mar. 15, 2025

Sen. John Fetterman. George Santos, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez.Photo:Anna Moneymaker/Getty, Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty, Kevin Dietsch/Getty

Anna Moneymaker/Getty, Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty, Kevin Dietsch/Getty

Pennsylvania Sen.John Fettermanis having a bit at his colleague’s expense, paying former Rep.George Santosto film a Cameo alluding to New Jersey Sen.Bob Menendez’s ongoing legal troubles.

Fetterman’s team toldBusiness Insiderthey paid $343.20 for the Cameo. A spokesperson added that the video was delivered to Fetterman’s team 16 minutes after it was requested.

Fetterman has called on Menendez, a fellow Democrat, to resign after the New Jersey senator and his wife, Nadine, were indicted in September following a federal investigation into their business dealings with three men linked to Egypt’s government.

The39-page indictmentalleges that Menendez, 69, and his wife, 56, accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bribes in exchange for protecting the three businessmen — Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes — and to “benefit” the government of Egypt. Some of those bribes, prosecutors say, came in the form of envelopes stuffed with cash.

“Over $480,000 in cash — much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe — was discovered in the home, along with over $70,000 in Nadine Menendez’s safe deposit box,” the indictment alleges. Menendez, who was chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the time of the indictment, has since told reporters the cash came from his “personal savings.”

Shortly after the indictment was unveiled, Fetterman said he would return a $5,000 campaign donation he received from Menendez and that he would do so “in envelopes stuffed with $100 bills.”

Nadine and Bob Menendez attend a White House reception on May 16, 2022.Chip Somodevilla/Getty

Chip Somodevilla/Getty

Asking Santos, who is mired in his own legal issues, to film the video about Menendez was not random.

Just last week, Santos becameonly the sixth House member in historyto be expelled after the House Ethics Committee released a report in which it “unanimously concluded” that the New York Republican could not be trusted and alleged that he committed fraud.

The committee’s explosive report was released in the wake of a23-count federal indictmentagainst Santos earlier this year, which handed down a variety of theft and fraud charges involving his congressional campaign. (Santospleaded not guiltyto each of the criminal charges and has not yet gone to trial.)

Shortly after Santos' expulsion, he vowed to exact revenge on those who had voted in favor of ousting him. One person he singled outin an X posthours later was Democratic Rep. Rob Menendez — Sen. Bob Menendez’s son — saying he should be investigated in connection with the allegations against his father.

New York Rep. George Santos, newly sworn in to the U.S. House, speaks to reporters in early 2023.Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images

Santos joined the video-sharing platform Cameo, which allows users to pay for a videotaped message, days after he was expelled, and he has already filmed a number of videos in which he pokes fun at the allegations against himself.

TheCameo pagedescribes Santos as “Former congressional ‘Icon’! 💅🏼” and “The Expelled member of Congress from New York City.”

source: people.com