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An insider interviewed Rep. George Santos’ 24-year-old press secretary, Gabriel Lipsky.
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Her job includes answering calls from members of the public who are outraged by Santos’ lies.
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The scandal-ridden lawmaker faces calls to resign, but Lipsky still considers himself a “marginal genius.”
Many of us think our jobs are hard. Compared to Gabriel Lipsky, the 24-year-old press secretary for beleaguered Congressman George Santos, we’re probably a no-brainer.
In an interview with Insider, Lipsky said, “Usually I describe my day like a pinball machine. ‘It shoots me in all directions.’
Becoming a press secretary for a member of parliament always involves long hours, challenging work, and a lot of stress.
But for Lipsky, The most scandalous freshman lawmakers in generationsdays are spent responding to incessant requests for comment about the latest lie in which Santos has been implicated, or calls from angry voters demanding his resignation.
There are many questions to ask.
When Santos was elected to represent New York’s third congressional district last November, Lipsky came along from his campaign.
Lipsky isn’t just doing his job as press secretary. She also acts as an office manager and sometimes acts as a liaison, most of the time answering office calls.
Often voters and journalists call her office, she regularly receives a barrage of phone calls from people across the country, many expressing their outrage. Santos has not yet resigned.
“That’s a lot,” she said. “They curse us and threaten us. People often ask me, ‘How can you work for someone like that?'”
When asked how he would answer that question, Lipsky chooses his words carefully. She explains that she primarily serves her NY-3 constituency. This includes working for Santos as it happens.
“At the end of the day, congressmen have a job to do and they need someone to help them do it,” she said. “Somebody has to do it.”
No day is the same for Lipsky, but she says it usually starts with editing Santos press clippings.
Some about what’s happening in New York’s Third District, some about national development, but Lipsky has a lot of reports about Santos to sift through. questionable financial disclosures; lie, and investigation of his behavior.
When I brought this up to Santos, she said she was trying to approach it without emotion.
Lipsky is a newcomer to Capitol Hill, fresh out of New York’s private Adelphi University in 2020 with a degree in psychology and criminal justice, and embarking on an unconventional political path.
She worked at a bank for a while and then worked for a few months at a PR firm where Santos was one of their clients. Impressed by her work there, he invited her to his campaign last April.
(FEC filing It indicates that Lipsky will start receiving press consultant compensation in May 2022. )
Lipsky’s age and inexperience Indictment of nepotism on social media. Her father, David Lipsky, donated her more than $8,000 to the Santos campaign in December 2021, about five months before her daughter joined the team.
Her mother, Casey Lipsky, also donated $5,800 on the same day, and another $1,450 in August 2022.
“It’s no secret that my parents are endowments to many members of the Republican Party, as are thousands of freedom-loving Americans.”
“They know how important politics is to me and to the future of New York State, and out of their love and support for me, they help candidates and are political advocates as best they can.”
Lipsky says that the Auschwitz survivor’s grandmother, Eva Lipsky, also knew Santos and “loves him.”
Congressman mentioned when he was 93 spoke in the House of Commons Marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day in late January.
Lipsky said he was so moved by the tribute to his grandmother that he was moved to tears.
But the tribute dismissed immediately as part of a political drama, Given previous revelations, Santos was not Jewishas he previously claimed, and his grandparents were not a holocaust survivorhe also said.
When asked about this and whether it made the House speech feel disingenuous, Lipsky stammered.
“When the speculation began, of course I frowned.”At the same time, if they are real stories told by his family, he’s not going to question it.
Angry callers aren’t the only thing Lipsky has to deal with. Santos’ team received a cold reception in Congress, she said.
“I know people think our staff is radioactive, seeing the looks we see in the hallways and taking selfies in front of the office,” she said. rice field.
Despite this, Lipsky says working for Santos, who she claims is a “borderline genius,” has been an invaluable learning experience.
“I like to call it the ‘perfect storm,’ because I’m setting up a freshman office in the midst of all this,” she says. It’s a crash course.”
She adds:
Read the original article at business insider