Did Ziwe Interview Disgraced Former Lawmaker George Santos?

From historically disgraced former member of Congress to "iconic" interview? That seems to be George Santos' latest trajectory, with reports that Santos may have had a face-to-face with comic interviewer Ziwe.

"The comedian – known for her confrontational, no-holds-barred interviews with 'iconic guests' – posted apparent photo evidence of their sit-down on her social media accounts after the two publicly flirted with the idea earlier this month," People Magazine reported.

In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Ziwe posted a photo of herself with Santos that showed the openly gay former lawmaker holding a designer bag.

"he stole the birkin right out of my hands," Ziwe quipped in an overt reference to a house Ethics Committee report that said Santos "misused campaign funds for his own personal purposes by purchasing things like Botox injections, OnlyFans subscriptions and items from luxury retailers such as Sephora and Hermès," People Mag recalled.

"Santos and Ziwe first raised speculation about a forthcoming interview last week, when Ziwe wrote on X, '.@MrSantosNY would you be interested in a pay-per-view interview? you'd be an iconic guest,'" the magazine related.

"Santos – who has spent a large chunk of time since his ouster filming selfie videos on Cameo – responded, 'Let's do it @ziwe' with a winking emoji," the outlet went on to add.

As previously reported by the Associated Press, Santos was expelled from the legislative chamber on Dec. 1. The move has only rarely been used in American history, with Santos being the sixth lawmaker to be removed from office.

"The New York Republican – who was mired in controversy even before his January swearing-in – entered the national spotlight on a rocky note, as story after story cropped up about him lying about his past, allegations of running fraudulent schemes accumulated, and a prospective staffer accused him of making unwanted sexual advances," People Mag recalled.

The House Ethics Committee allegations emerged more recently. "Santos faces a host of charges that he defrauded donors to his campaign, lied to Congress about his wealth, received unemployment benefits while employed and used campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses like designer clothing," the Associated Press reported on Dec. 12.

"He pleaded not guilty in October to additional charges that he made tens of thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on credit cards belonging to some of his campaign donors," the AP added. The same article reported that Santos is now negotiating a plea agreement.

"House Speaker Mike Johnson was among those who voiced concerns about removing Santos, though he has told members to vote their conscience," an earlier AP report relayed at the time of Santos' ejection from the House. Santos had argued that he should be retained, despite the ethics probe and a long list of purported misdeeds and deceptions, lest the expulsion of lawmakers become a new weapon in a polarized legislative environment, as censure has of late.

Santos has also taken the line that he is the victim of a political "witch hunt."

Some of Santos' congressional colleagues "agreed with his reasoning and opposed expulsion," AP noted. "But some Republicans, including Santos' colleagues from New York, said voters will welcome lawmakers being held to a higher standard."

Twitter users weighed in with an appetite for the interview, whenever it might be available.

The social media-arranged sit-down inspired one more invitation for Santos to tell his side of the story.