'I don’t have a number in my head': George Santos busted asking for money for documentary

A documentary spotlighting Rep. George Santos' (R-NY) road to Congress despite his many lies halted production after the congressman sought payment for it.
The GOP lawmaker was indicted by Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier this week on 13 criminal counts that include wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements.
Filmmaker Blake Zeff appeared on MSNBC's The Beat with Ari Melber Thursday, and provided insight into his conversations with the congressman.
READ MORE: George Santos' latest FEC filing an 'indecipherable mess': report
Melber shared a brief audio clip of Santos' voice Thursday, writing, "NEW AUDIO: George Santos asks about money for interview."
Santos can be heard saying, "So, what are they entertaining kind of like...monetarily, just...look, I don't have a number in my head. Like, the fact that I'm having these conversations, these are conversations I never in a million years thought I would be having. But, when in Rome, you know, let's have the conversations..."
Zeff told Melber, "Santos wanted a substantial payout," but that kind of request is "sort of a journalistic no-no where you don't really pay for stories."
The filmmaker said, "We had meetings about a documentary. They sort of fizzled. Then in talking with him, it became clear that he was interested in, you know, 'How big was the budget? I can't talk about money while I'm in my congressional office so I'll have to call you separately when I’='m not in my office to talk about that kind of stuff.'"
READ MORE: George Santos surrenders to federal authorities
Watch the video below or at this link.
\u201cNEW AUDIO: George Santos asks about money for interview.\u201d— The Beat with Ari Melber \ud83d\udcfa (@The Beat with Ari Melber \ud83d\udcfa) 1683842774
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