John Fetterman tricks George Santos into TROLLING Bob Menendez by paying $343 for a Cameo video

Conservative media outlets are buzzing with Sen. John Fetterman's latest stunt on social media. The Democratic senator from Pennsylvania thought it would be funny to send a paid Cameo message from lying former Long Island Rep. George Santos to his colleague, Senator Bob Menendez.

But not everyone is laughing.

In the Cameo, Santos can be seen cheerfully telling Menendez to not let his legal troubles get him down and to stay strong in the face of his critics. The irony of course in Fetterman choosing Santos, who was expelled from Congress for his own ethical and legal violations, to offer advice to Menendez, who is currently facing corruption charges, seems lost on the Democratic senator.

Fetterman paid for the Cameo using campaign funds, a move that some are calling unethical and a waste of donor money.

Santos, who has dubbed himself a "Former Congressional Icon" charges about $200 for his personalized messages on the Cameo platform, a desperate attempt to make ends meet after his expulsion from Congress.

Fetterman joked on social media that he thought Menendez could use some encouragement given his "substantial legal problems." But for a senator who was the first Democrat to call for Menendez's resignation after his indictment in September, this kind of behavior is hypocritical and insensitive.

Fetterman's stunt has sparked questions about Menendez's place in the Senate. Santos himself has previously defended Menendez, saying that he is innocent until proven guilty and that the media should not rush to judgement. Yet now he is using Menendez's plight as fodder for a cheap joke.

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• HOUSE ETHICS CHAIR MOVES TO EXPEL GEORGE SANTOS FROM CONGRESS

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It's worth noting that Santos was expelled from Congress in a bipartisan vote after a damning report from the House Committee on Ethics found that he had "blatantly stolen" campaign funds and committed other misdeeds. And yet, Fetterman saw fit to use him for a jab at Menendez.

Menendez and his wife are facing allegations of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from businessmen in exchange for political favors. Prosecutors have also accused him of using his position to meddle in investigations and lobby for foreign aid. And this is not Menendez's first brush with corruption charges, barely escaping conviction in a previous trial.