Did Rep. George Santos Flash the White Power Symbol in the House Chamber?

George Santos, the freshly sworn-in New York Republican congressman representing parts of Queens and Long Island who admitted to embellishing his resume, work experience and heritage, is already being accused of yet another controversial move: displaying the white power symbol. 

In a now-viral photo, Santos is shown with his fingers forming an OK gesture, a symbol that the Anti-Defamation League calls “a sincere expression of white supremacy.” According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, prominent figures who have used the symbol include Richard Spencer, who promoted the white nationalist rally in 2017, and Milo Yiannopoulos, alt-right commentator and former Breitbart editor who adopted the symbol in 2015.

Although Santos has yet to confirm that was his intention, a number of his new colleagues have expressed disgust.

“Last night on the House floor George Santos gave a white supremacist signal. We’ve all been laughing at Santos for lying his way to Congress. This time it ain’t funny. He and every other white supremacist in Congress need to be expelled immediately,” Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) tweeted.

“George Santos is not biracial but tri-racial. He has Latino, black, and now white power,” Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) wrote on Twitter. 

Torres had been a staunch critic of Santos before the new congressman was sworn into office, even introducing the SANTOS (Stop Another Non Truthful Office Seeker) Act in December. The legislation would “require additional information about a candidate’s educational background, military service, and employment history to be included when filing a statement of candidacy for Congress.”