In the clip posted by PatriotTakes, an anonymous Twitter account dedicated to “exposing right-wing extremism and other threats to democracy,” Santos is seen asking a question to a panel at a #WalkAway Foundation event in 2019.
“My name is Anthony Devolder, I’m a New York City resident,” Santos says in the video. “I recently started a group called United for Trump, so if you guys want to follow, that would be awesome.”
As of Friday evening, the clip had been viewed over 2.8 million times.
According to its website, the #WalkAway campaign is a grassroots movement for individuals who have “walked away” from the “Left” and can now share their story of leaving “identity politics behind.” According to the video posted on Friday, the event Santos attended was specifically opened to the LGBTQ community.
Santos, a Republican who represents New York’s 3rd Congressional District, has faced several calls to step down from his new post after admitting to lying about himself while running for Congress in the fall. Santos deceived the public regarding his educational background and job history, while also falsely claiming that he was Jewish.
According to a report from USA Today, which examined public records relating to questions Santos has faced about his finances, the congressman’s full name is George Anthony Devolder Santos.
In light of Friday’s viral clip, some House Democrats escalated their criticism against Santos, including Florida Representative Maxwell Frost, who reposted PatriotTakes’ video.
“So which is the fake name, Anthony Devolder or George Santos???” Frost tweeted, after using an acronym for uproarious laughter.
California Representative Ted Lieu also commented on Santos’ confusing name history, reposting an exchange found by CNN in which Santos went by “George Devolder” on Twitter in 2020.
“Dear @SpeakerMcCarthy: GOP Representative ‘George Santos’ has also introduced himself as ‘George Devolder’ and ‘Anthony Devolder,’” Lieu wrote.
“Why are you still supporting the Republican Congressman purportedly known as George Santos?” he added.
Democrats are not the only ones critical of Santos’ dubious history. The Nassau County Republican Party called upon the congressman to “immediately” step down from his position this week. Santos’ district includes parts of Nassau.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has defended Santos staying in office, saying, “the voters elected him to serve.”
“If there is a concern, and he has to go through Ethics, let him move through that,” the Republican leader said this week, according to a report from The Hill.
Santos has said that he will not resign.
Newsweek has reached out to the office of Santos for comment.