The New York district office of U.S. Rep. George Santos was vandalized with graffiti that spelled out a tri-lingual string of vulgarities against the embattled Republican congressman, police told CNBC on Friday.
Police received a call on Friday morning after the words “Santos is,” followed by the Greek, Mandarin and Spanish words for a scatalogical expletive, were found written on the lawmaker’s Queens-area office in gold spray paint, an NYPD spokesman said.
It was not immediately clear if police had identified any suspects in the incident, which is believed to have occurred sometime between 5 p.m. ET on Thursday and 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday.
“This act of cowardly behavior is beyond unacceptable and compromises the safety of my staff as well as my constituents,” Santos said in a statement sent through his office.
“My staff should never have to worry about entering the workplace, nor constituents who require federal assistance. A report was filed with the NYPD 111th Precinct, and I encourage anyone who may have information to contact them directly,” he said. “I would like to personally thank the NYPD for their commitment to public safety, and for keeping my district staff safe.”
The incident comes as Santos’ brief time in Congress has been plagued by a torrent of bipartisan criticism surrounding his lies on the campaign trail about his personal life and education, along with a laundry list of other scandals.
The freshman lawmaker has vowed to serve out his full two-year term in office, but said this week he won’t serve on any House committees until the many investigations into his campaign and finances have concluded.