A tiny paper broke the George Santos scandal, but no one paid attention

[dalton99a]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/12/29/north-shore-leader-santos-scoop/
https://archive.ph/GtN37

A tiny paper broke the George Santos scandal, but no one paid attention
By Sarah Ellison
December 29, 2022 at 4:40 p.m. EST

Months before the New York Times published a December article suggesting Rep.-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.) had fabricated much of his résumé and biography, a tiny publication on Long Island was ringing alarm bells about its local candidate.

The North Shore Leader wrote in September, when few others were covering Santos, about his “inexplicable rise” in reported net worth — from essentially nothing in 2020 to as much as $11 million two years later.

The story noted other oddities about the self-described gay Trump supporter with Jewish heritage, who would go on to flip New York’s 3rd Congressional District from blue to red, and is now under investigation by authorities for misrepresenting his background to voters.

“Interestingly, Santos shows no U.S. real property in his financial disclosure, although he has repeatedly claimed to own ‘a mansion in Oyster Bay Cove’ on Tiffany Road; and ‘a mansion in the Hamptons’ on Dune Road,” managing editor Maureen Daly wrote in the Leader. “For a man of such alleged wealth, campaign records show that Santos and his husband live in a rented apartment, in an attached rowhouse in Queens.”

The Leader reluctantly endorsed Santos’s Democratic opponent the next month. “This newspaper would like to endorse a Republican,” it wrote, but Santos “is so bizarre, unprincipled and sketchy that we cannot. … He boasts like an insecure child — but he’s most likely just a fabulist — a fake.”

...


A weekly newspaper on Long Island uncovered the story about misrepresentations by Rep.-elect George Santos about his background. (David Becker for The Washington Post)

[tenderfoot]

1. I think the media intentionally blew the story

because they wanted that Red Wave.

[Tetrachloride]

3. Undoubtedly. In this day of automated Google,

a lot of people dropped the ball. Thousands of media. Willfully.

[Genki Hikari]

4. Just like how the NY media

Ignored the criminality of Donnie Two Scoops for decades. They were too busy tittering over his scandalous private life and the outrageous nonsense that came out of his face anus to notice the crimes he was committing in broad daylight.

[Meowmee]

15. This

[Solly Mack]

2. K&R

[Cha]

5. Ty.. wow.. the Leader went

all out and endorsed the Dem, Robert Zimmerman.

So it's not as if it's a Left wing paper Breaking the Story! But they couldn't endorse him.

Learned a new word. .". Santos is a fabulist.. a Fake".. The Leader.

[Polly Hennessey]

6. I remember what Rachael said about supporting

local newspapers because they are the true investigative reporters.

[Rhiannon12866]

7. +100!

[progree]

8. Hurray for local community newspapers. Too bad so many are folding,

I'm glad to see the ones that remain.

I've had quite a little recent mini-run with published letters to the editor of my local community paper (The Sun Post, covering 4 western suburbs of Minneapolis) -- one criticizing a local former Golden Valley (MN) city councilmember who might try another run some time (will be published Jan 5). The other, published Dec 8, was about the sharp cuts in bus service to our community.

[NJCher]

9. Interesting, but

Why would the newspaper say they would like to endorse a Republican?

The area is a blue area. I’m from the Northeast—NJ—and I can’t I imagine a local paper saying such a thing.

I used to have to travel to Glen Cove on business. The main thing I remember was a huge shopping mall and getting charged $8 for a vodka gimlet 30 years ago.

[SunSeeker]

10. Right? Weird.

I mean, Republicans don't read newspapers much, so it certainly wouldn't increase their subscriber numbers to pander to Republicans.

[LeftInTX]

12. Long Island is red.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217507153#post11

[LeftInTX]

11. Long Island is red

These are results from 2021. It's a County Executive race. Race is partisan.

[NJCher]

13. It's red and blue

An article on this topic said the area had voted blue in the past.


The last rep for that district was Tom Suozi, a Democrat.
He left the spot to run for governor.

[Rhiannon12866]

19. Lee Zeldin, the Republican Rep. who ran against the governor, is from NY-1, the reddest district in NY

[Irish_Dem]

14. Most of the media was silent about a GOP candidate obviously funded by Russia.

I wonder how much money the media receives from Russia?

[Meowmee]

16. He ran twice for this office

There is no excuse, it should have been widespread and nationally known.

[rateyes]

17. Hmm. He lives in an apartment in Queens??

Doesn’t TFG own a bunch of apartments in Queens??

[NJCher]

18. that's where his dad got his start

Was in Queens, according to Mary Trump's book. But Donald wanted to move into Manhattan, thought it was more his style. I think Fred supported his move toward doing that.

I know someone with a four-story apartment building in Queens and he said his tenants are almost all Korean or Chinese, can't recall exactly. Prompt payers, always have the rent. Landlord's dream. That doesn't mean all rentals are like that, by any means.

I have heard that the backbone of this rental empire that Fred started will preclude trump from ever being completely broke. I question that now, as this was written some time ago. trump has made a spectacular mess of the business he was handed. How appalled his father must be.

[LessAspin]

20. Santos for America

Link to tweet

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016340086

https://www.democraticunderground.com/103718809