Rep. George Santos brought a 9/11 first responder to the State of the Union.

Michael Weinstock was a volunteer firefighter who spent time at Ground Zero following the terrorist attacks.

He tells News 12 he decided to accompany the congressman, despite their political differences, to raise awareness for a neurological disorder.

"I thought this would be so exciting and powerful," Weinstock says. "And then I began to think about the headache in light of Congressman Santos' service at the moment and the more I thought about it, I thought of something my rabbi said not too long ago. He said, 'An important mitzvah isn't easy. You're going to do a good deed, sometimes it takes hard work.'"

As News 12 has reported, Santos has come under fire for claiming his mother died in the 9/11 attacks, but an investigation revealed she died in 2016.