The election of George Santos to New York’s third congressional district in November 2020 brought a 24-year-old press secretary, Gabrielle Lipsky, along with him. Since then, she’s been on the receiving end of a barrage of furious calls from people across the US, demanding Santos’ resignation due to his questionable financial disclosures, lies, and investigations into his behavior.
In an interview with Insider, Lipsky discussed her challenging job and how she deals with the daily pressure. Her typical day starts with compiling press clippings for Santos, many of which are about the scandals involving him.
FEC filings show that Lipsky was paid for press consultancy in May 2022, leading to charges of nepotism on social media as her father, David Lipsky, had donated more than $8,000 to Santos’ campaign in December 2021 — roughly five months before his daughter joined the team.
Lipsky said that although she is primarily serving the constituents of NY-3, she is also learning a lot from the experience. “At the end of the day, each and every single person that works in this office is going to come out battle-tested,” she said.
Despite the controversy surrounding Santos, Lipsky still thinks he’s a “borderline genius,” adding: “Someone’s got to do it.” However, she admitted that his team has received a frosty reception in the halls of Congress, saying: “I see the looks we get in the hallway, the selfies being taken in front of the office, and I know people think that the staff is radioactive.”
Given that she’s still relatively new to Capitol Hill, Lipsky is learning a lot from her experience, but it’s a lot to ask of a 24-year-old. It remains to be seen how much longer she’ll be able to handle the pressure.
