Naysa Woomer, former communications director for besieged New York Congressman George Santos, spoke for the first time with POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman about what it was like to work for the fact-challenged freshman. First, there was the time she said he almost burned the place down — literally. Early one morning in April, Woomer discovered that Santos, who liked burning candles, had left a large Yankee wax lit overnight in his office on the Hill. When she put out the candle, it was “extremely hot” to the touch, she recalled. When he came in, she asked Santos if he’d forgotten to blow it out. “Oh my God, I did,” she recalled him responding, to which she joked: “So, trying to burn down Longworth?” When Woomer interviewed for the comms job with Santos in early December, he told her he wanted to be a big name in the media. That, of course, was just days before the blockbuster New York Times article documenting how Santos had fabricated most of his life story. (Woomer, who had previously worked for three other members of Congress, accepted the job before the Times article ran.) “Joke’s on him,” she quipped in a recent interview in the common room of her D.C. apartment building. She’s searching for a new job since resigning in mid-May, after Santos was indicted on federal fraud and money laundering charges. Woomer had turned into a mini-celebrity on Capitol Hill — a constant at Santos’ side as he roamed the halls thronged by reporters. She said she repeatedly advised Santos to go on an apology tour, starting with a major national television interview. But while he has done some TV sitdowns, he refused to offer a full apology. Woomer, who had previously worked for former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, said she tried her best to use her institutional knowledge of the Hill to move the Santos office in a more positive direction. But, she said his ascendence is a cautionary tale for all political candidates who crave the spotlight more than responding to the mundane concerns of constituents. “I felt like he was no longer becoming a member of Congress, but rather turning into a celebrity. Celebrities are not in the business of public service, but rather all about serving themselves,” she said. Santos’ current spokesperson Gabrielle Lipsky declined to comment. The congressman would get frustrated when Woomer would put out press releases for bills he was introducing, and they wouldn’t get much news coverage. One example of his unquenchable quest for attention was his co-sponsorship of a bill to make the AR-15 the national gun of America. “It felt like it was more of a clickbait situation,” she said. “I was just very disappointed that he signed on for a bill that he did not have too much knowledge on.” Despite all of the drama, she feels her Santos role prepared her well for a job in crisis. “I’ve really sharpened my skills in crisis communications. I’m proud of the work that I did and accomplished in that office,” she said. “People would say, ‘How did you do it?’ I was responding to media inquiries all the time, sometimes I was getting texts at all hours of the night from reporters confirming whether or not he was a drag queen, which I thought, ‘Okay this is where my life is now.’” HAPPY FRIDAY. WHERE’S KATHY? Delivering remarks at a Women’s March ERA rally to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, meeting with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Senior Advisor to the President Mitch Landrieu and Local Leaders at the I-81 Groundbreaking in Syracuse. WHERE’S ERIC? Going live on Caribbean Power Jam’s "The Reset Show" and making a technology-related announcement in New York City. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “All those who believe we should not be removing guns off our street, they need to be here at the funeral watching this young child that we are burying because of gun violence in our city,” Adams said at the funeral of 15-year old Faridun Mavlonov, who was shot and killed in Brooklyn on Monday.
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