George Santos calls Jewish man "human scum" during heated exchange on Capitol Hill

Things became heated when Shabd Singh engaged Santos in a discussion about Israeli policies

By Kelly McClure

Nights & Weekends Editor

Published October 13, 2023 4:29PM (EDT)

U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY) becomes emotional as he talks about the situation in Israel during a break in a House Republican caucus meeting at the Longworth House Office Building on October 13, 2023 in Washington, DC.  (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY) becomes emotional as he talks about the situation in Israel during a break in a House Republican caucus meeting at the Longworth House Office Building on October 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

On Friday, Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y lost his temper on Capitol Hill during a heated exchange with a Jewish American man identified as Shabd Singh of Washington. In a clip of the event, Santos lashes out at the man — who has been described as being critical of Israeli policies — calling him "human scum."

At the start of the clip, Santos points out the man to officers in the building, saying that Singh accosted him while he had a two-month-old baby in his hands. Prior to this taking place, he'd been photographed leaving Tim Burchett’s office with this baby and, when asked if it was his, is said to have answered, "Not yet." So TBD on that. 

"You came in my personal space yelling at me," Santos says to Singh further on in the clip, which can be seen below. Pointing his finger in the man's face, he asks, "What are you doing about terrorists destroying Israel? It is abhorrent that you are in this building stepping up for terrorists," calling him a terrorist sympathizer and human scum as he storms away.

In The Daily Beast's coverage of the event, they point out that Santos was "previously busted falsely claiming to be Jewish," and that Singh said the rep was essentially framing what he'd been saying as "some sort of antisemitic trope.”

Speaking to reporters shortly after, Singh summarized his reason for approaching Santos in the first place, saying, "You cannot weaponize Jewish pain to continue the mass murder of civilians." 


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