George Santos staffers feel glare of spotlight
Rep. George Santos (R-Nassau/Queens), right, leaves his office with Chief of Staff Charles Lovett on Jan. 12. Credit: Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker
WASHINGTON — Congressional staffers tend to toil in the background on Capitol Hill, but scrutiny of Rep. George Santos has drawn attention to his young staff members, who frequently appear in network news footage escorting him around the U.S. Capitol complex, serving as a buffer between him and reporters.
Two Long Island natives are among those working for Santos (R-Nassau/Queens), who has admitted fabricating parts of his educational and work background and who is under investigation by federal, state and local authorities.
They are among a staff of five hired by Santos so far. Several have worked for right-wing officials and candidates whose views skew far from the majority-Democratic district Santos represents.
Rafaello Carone, 22, who grew up in Dix Hills, serves as Santos’ senior legislative aide after stints with three other House GOP members including former Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), an ally of former President Donald Trump.
Gabrielle Lipsky, 24, also from Dix Hills, served as Santos’ campaign press secretary and now holds that title on his congressional staff.
Her parents are significant GOP donors who gave a total of $21,925 to Santos’ campaign committees between 2021 and 2022, according to campaign finance records.
Other hires include:
Chief of Staff Charles Lovett, 24, who worked on the unsuccessful U,S, Senate campaign of Ohio Republican Josh Mandel, a staunch Trump supporter, , Viswanag “Vish” Burra, 31, a former aide to Trump adviser Steve Bannon, Burra told Newsday he is serving as Santos' operations director, , Naysa Woomer, 38, Santos’ communications director, who worked previously in the administration of former Massachusetts Gov, Charlie Baker, a moderate Republican who left office Jan, 3, .
Salary information for House employees has not been made public and likely will not be available for some weeks.
But members of Congress are allocated an average $1.8 million per year to staff their offices in Washington and their districts, pay for travel to and from their districts and for mail services, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.
Newsday requested interviews with the two Long Islanders on Santos' staff: Carone responded with a statement, but Lipsky declined to comment.
Carone, a pediatric cancer survivor, spent his youth advocating on behalf of childhood cancer patients and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
At age 4, Carone appeared with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) at a news conference outside a Westbury blood bank to draw attention to bipartisan legislation Schumer had sponsored to fund a national network of umbilical cord blood banks to help treat cancer patients.
Carone also was featured in a 2013 video for the New York Blood Center, in which he shared his experience with cancer.
A graduate of Half Hollow Hills High School West, Carone went on to work for several right-flank lawmakers on Capitol Hill, according to his profile on the legislative research site Legistorm.
In 2021, he served as social media manager for Cawthorn, who was elected in 2020 at the age of 25, casting himself as a Trump acolyte.
Cawthorn failed in his reelection bid last year, having lost the support of Republican leaders after a series of controversies.
Cawthorn once said he had been invited to orgies on Capitol Hill but said later he had made up the story.
Last year, Carone served as press secretary for Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Texas).
Gosar was censured by the Democrat-controlled House in 2021 for posting an online video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens/Bronx) and attacking President Joe Biden.
Gosar said “no threat was intended,” although Ocasio-Cortez said the video helped fuel the death threats her office routinely receives.
Carone served for a period last year as deputy communications director for Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.), who was among 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Carone also is founder of Liberty and Justice Consulting Firm, a company he formed in North Carolina that bills itself as working “to send a new wave of conservative leaders to Washington.”
Campaign finance records show the campaign of Republican Cait Corrigan, who ran unsuccessfully to replace former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), paid Liberty and Justice Consulting $2,000 for communications work last February.
The company also has performed consulting work for Virginians for America First. The group's website promotes poll-watching training sessions for “equipping Patriots to wage warfare against the enemy of all that is good, noble, and God honoring.”
Carone in a statement to Newsday said from an early age he felt "a calling for civic engagement" and public service.
"After I won my battle with high-risk Leukemia, I decided to devote my life to giving back and making a difference," Carone said. "From advocating for cancer research and new forms of treatment to working on the Hill, I've been committed to bettering the lives of everyday Americans and those in need."
But Carone and other staffers have experienced taunts both in person and online. At a recent demonstration outside Santos' House office, one protester asked them, "How does it feel to work for an insurrectionist?"
Carone complained about the treatment in the statement: "Instead of encouraging my commitment to helping others, my experience has been met with public ridicule and harassment."
Carone continued: "I am not discouraged. My commitment to bettering America hasn't wavered."
GABRIELLE LIPSKY
Lipsky is Santos’ press secretary and also manager of Santos’ office in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill, according to Legistorm.
Lipsky attended Half Hollow Hills High School West and graduated from Adelphi University in Garden City, according to Legistorm.
Lipsky has a large social media presence on the photo and video sharing app Instagram, where she has more than 24,000 followers.
Posts on Instagram feature photos of Lipsky and her family at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's estate in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Lipsky’s parents, David and Kacey Lipsky, also are pictured on their public social media profiles in photos with Trump, Zeldin and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).
They're also featured in photos on Instagram and Facebook with Shawn Farash and Kevin Smith, founders of the Long Island Loud Majority, a pro-Trump group that organized protests denouncing mask mandates and other pandemic restrictions. The group backed Santos’ candidacy.
Federal campaign finance records show David Lipsky, who has several businesses registered on Long Island, donated $5,800 to the Devolder-Santos Victory Committee and $2,900 to the Devolder-Santos for Congress Committee in December 2021.
Kacey Lipsky (or donors with different spellings of her first name listed at the same address) gave a total of $13,225 to Santos political action committees between December 2021 and August 2022, according to FEC reports.
WASHINGTON — Congressional staffers tend to toil in the background on Capitol Hill, but scrutiny of Rep. George Santos has drawn attention to his young staff members, who frequently appear in network news footage escorting him around the U.S. Capitol complex, serving as a buffer between him and reporters.
Two Long Island natives are among those working for Santos (R-Nassau/Queens), who has admitted fabricating parts of his educational and work background and who is under investigation by federal, state and local authorities.
They are among a staff of five hired by Santos so far. Several have worked for right-wing officials and candidates whose views skew far from the majority-Democratic district Santos represents.
Rafaello Carone, 22, who grew up in Dix Hills, serves as Santos’ senior legislative aide after stints with three other House GOP members including former Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), an ally of former President Donald Trump.
WHAT TO KNOW
- Scrutiny of Rep. George Santos has drawn attention to his young staff, who frequently appear in network news footage escorting him around the U.S. Capitol, serving as a buffer between him and the news media.
- Two Long Island natives are among staff working for Santos, who has admitted fabricating parts of his educational and work background, and who is under investigation by federal, state and local authorities.
- Several Santos staff members have worked for right-wing congressmen and candidates whose views skew far from those of many residents of the district Santos represents.
Gabrielle Lipsky, 24, also from Dix Hills, served as Santos’ campaign press secretary and now holds that title on his congressional staff.
Her parents are significant GOP donors who gave a total of $21,925 to Santos’ campaign committees between 2021 and 2022, according to campaign finance records.
Other hires include:
- Chief of Staff Charles Lovett, 24, who worked on the unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign of Ohio Republican Josh Mandel, a staunch Trump supporter.
- Viswanag “Vish” Burra, 31, a former aide to Trump adviser Steve Bannon. Burra told Newsday he is serving as Santos' operations director.
- Naysa Woomer, 38, Santos’ communications director, who worked previously in the administration of former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a moderate Republican who left office Jan. 3.
Rep. George Santos walks through the Capitol with communications director Naysa Woomer.
Credit: AP/Jacquelyn Martin
Salary information for House employees has not been made public and likely will not be available for some weeks.
But members of Congress are allocated an average $1.8 million per year to staff their offices in Washington and their districts, pay for travel to and from their districts and for mail services, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.
Newsday requested interviews with the two Long Islanders on Santos' staff: Carone responded with a statement, but Lipsky declined to comment.
RAFAELLO CARONE
Carone, a pediatric cancer survivor, spent his youth advocating on behalf of childhood cancer patients and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
At age 4, Carone appeared with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) at a news conference outside a Westbury blood bank to draw attention to bipartisan legislation Schumer had sponsored to fund a national network of umbilical cord blood banks to help treat cancer patients.
Carone also was featured in a 2013 video for the New York Blood Center, in which he shared his experience with cancer.
A graduate of Half Hollow Hills High School West, Carone went on to work for several right-flank lawmakers on Capitol Hill, according to his profile on the legislative research site Legistorm.
In 2021, he served as social media manager for Cawthorn, who was elected in 2020 at the age of 25, casting himself as a Trump acolyte.
Cawthorn failed in his reelection bid last year, having lost the support of Republican leaders after a series of controversies.
Cawthorn once said he had been invited to orgies on Capitol Hill but said later he had made up the story.
Last year, Carone served as press secretary for Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Texas).
Gosar was censured by the Democrat-controlled House in 2021 for posting an online video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens/Bronx) and attacking President Joe Biden.
Gosar said “no threat was intended,” although Ocasio-Cortez said the video helped fuel the death threats her office routinely receives.
Carone served for a period last year as deputy communications director for Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.), who was among 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Carone also is founder of Liberty and Justice Consulting Firm, a company he formed in North Carolina that bills itself as working “to send a new wave of conservative leaders to Washington.”
Campaign finance records show the campaign of Republican Cait Corrigan, who ran unsuccessfully to replace former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), paid Liberty and Justice Consulting $2,000 for communications work last February.
The company also has performed consulting work for Virginians for America First. The group's website promotes poll-watching training sessions for “equipping Patriots to wage warfare against the enemy of all that is good, noble, and God honoring.”
Carone in a statement to Newsday said from an early age he felt "a calling for civic engagement" and public service.
"After I won my battle with high-risk Leukemia, I decided to devote my life to giving back and making a difference," Carone said. "From advocating for cancer research and new forms of treatment to working on the Hill, I've been committed to bettering the lives of everyday Americans and those in need."
But Carone and other staffers have experienced taunts both in person and online. At a recent demonstration outside Santos' House office, one protester asked them, "How does it feel to work for an insurrectionist?"
Carone complained about the treatment in the statement: "Instead of encouraging my commitment to helping others, my experience has been met with public ridicule and harassment."
Carone continued: "I am not discouraged. My commitment to bettering America hasn't wavered."
GABRIELLE LIPSKY
Lipsky is Santos’ press secretary and also manager of Santos’ office in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill, according to Legistorm.
Lipsky attended Half Hollow Hills High School West and graduated from Adelphi University in Garden City, according to Legistorm.
Lipsky has a large social media presence on the photo and video sharing app Instagram, where she has more than 24,000 followers.
Posts on Instagram feature photos of Lipsky and her family at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's estate in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Lipsky’s parents, David and Kacey Lipsky, also are pictured on their public social media profiles in photos with Trump, Zeldin and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).
They're also featured in photos on Instagram and Facebook with Shawn Farash and Kevin Smith, founders of the Long Island Loud Majority, a pro-Trump group that organized protests denouncing mask mandates and other pandemic restrictions. The group backed Santos’ candidacy.
Federal campaign finance records show David Lipsky, who has several businesses registered on Long Island, donated $5,800 to the Devolder-Santos Victory Committee and $2,900 to the Devolder-Santos for Congress Committee in December 2021.
Kacey Lipsky (or donors with different spellings of her first name listed at the same address) gave a total of $13,225 to Santos political action committees between December 2021 and August 2022, according to FEC reports.
Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.
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