Santos duped by Democratic senator to troll disgraced colleague Menendez

Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman enlisted a Cameo video from disgraced lawmaker George Santos in “support” of the also-disgraced New Jersey senator Bob Menendez, with Santos telling Menendez to “stay strong” amid his legal woes.

Related: Bob Menendez pleads not guilty to charges of acting as an agent of Egypt

In a rare example of bipartisan financial support, Fetterman paid Santos, a Republican, $200 for the personalized video as a prank. Santos did not know the “Bobby” he was recording the video for was Menendez.

Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives on Friday following a scathing ethics report that detailed his misuse of campaign funds. Ever since he has been selling videos on Cameo, a website that allows users to buy short, personalized videos from celebrities.

On X, Fetterman said he wanted to provide Menendez with “encouragement” amid the “substantial legal problems” the New Jersey senator faces.

“So, I approached a seasoned expert on the matter to give ‘Bobby from Jersey’ some advice,” Fetterman wrote on X.

Menendez and his wife both face federal bribery and extortion charges, as the senator also faces calls to resign. Fetterman has been one of Menendez’s fiercest critics, questioning during a CNN appearance on Monday why Menendez should remain in office if Santos is expelled.

In the Cameo video to Menendez, Santos begins with “Hey Bobby!”

He continues: “I don’t think I need to tell you, but these people who 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. You stand your ground, sir, and don’t get bogged down by all the haters out there.”

Santos ends with “Stay strong” before wishing Menendez a “Merry Christmas”.

Santos reportedly made the Cameo video just 16 minutes after receiving the request from Fetterman’s camp. “We did not expect to get it back so fast,” an unnamed Fetterman spokesperson told Business Insider.

After Fetterman posted the Santos video online, Santos responded on X that he did not know which “Bobby” he was making the video for: “I love this! I wish I knew the Bobby in question! LOL.”

Santos then publicly called for Menendez’s removal.

Menendez, for his part, responded to Fetterman’s prank by telling NBC News: “I don’t think Mr Clickbait’s donors would appreciate him enriching George Santos.”

Fetterman wasn’t the only one to cash in on Santos’s new career.

Ohio Democrats also bought a Cameo from Santos in order to troll Senator Bernie Moreno for his donations to the Santos campaign.

“A little message from [Santos] to his number one supporter in Ohio, [Moreno],” the group posted on X, along with the video in which Santos expressed his gratitude to “Bernie Moreno from Ohio” for “maxing out to my campaign”.

“Unfortunately, you know, it ended, it’s over, but I want to say thank you very much for that donation and for all the support and I hope that in the future I can come back and be part of the game again,” Santos added.