“Threats from violent Islamic radicals like Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad continue to be directed at Israel, our main ally and the sole democracy in the Middle East.”

American former politician and convicted fraudster

George Santos is an American former politician and convicted fraudster. He served as the U.S. representative for New York's 3rd congressional district from January to December 2023, before being expelled from Congress. Elected as a Republican in 2022, he defeated Democrat Robert Zimmerman after an earlier unsuccessful run against incumbent Tom Suozzi. He is the first openly LGBTQ Republican elected to Congress as a freshman, and his public profile is tied to a brief and highly troubled congressional tenure.