House Republicans run and hide as George Santos crashes and burns
While Georgia dodged a bullet by keeping a lying Republican out of Congress, New York didn’t fare as well. Meet George Santos, congressman-elect from New York, who has been called out for lying on his resume. Now, if you listen to Santos, he “embellished” his resume, but Santos obviously doesn’t understand the difference between an “embellishment” and an outright lie. As CNN reported, GOP leadership is silent about the controversy. Figures.
Though Santos is a proven, admitted liar, he still intends to serve in Congress. Great. Just what this country needs: another liar in Congress. Why would anyone even believe what he claimed he ran to accomplish? On his campaign site, he claims to be part of “a new generation of Republican leadership.” Yes, those who lie about things that shouldn’t matter. The people who elected him didn’t care if he worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs or that he never went to college. Lauren Boebert has a GED, yet her district reelected her. What matters here is that he lied, and people do care about that. After numerous calls for investigations or that Santos resign, media outlets have reported that he is indeed being investigated.
According to NPR, Long Island prosecutors have begun an investigation. Nassau County DA Anne Donnelly-who is a Republican-calls Santos’ lies “nothing short of stunning.” She further believes that the residents of the third district need “an honest and accountable representative in Congress.” Well, they’re not getting that with Santos. He has done nothing but lie. Not only did he lie about school and work, but Santos lied about his heritage, claiming to be the direct descendant of people who “fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine.” Santos is a liar; he cannot claim that anyone is after him for any other reason. In fact, some of his most vocal critics are fellow Republicans, and it’s not only Santos’ lies that have people raising eyebrows. His sudden wealth has invited the interest of federal prosecutors.
Santos’ financial disclosure forms show an increase in his wealth from $55,000 that he allegedly earned from LinkBridge to $750,000 from his own company, the Devolder Organization in just under two years. His forms also show $1 million and $5 million in savings, $100,001 to $250,000 in checking, and ownership of an apartment in Brazil valued between $500,001 and $1,000,000. Sounds fishy-just like his resume. Interestingly, Washington Post reported that according to Dun & Bradstreet, Santos’ company worth was $43,688.
It is certainly difficult to believe anything this man says, let alone the origins of his sudden wealth. Santos needs to rethink his intention of taking the oath of office next week. He is likely setting himself up for an immediate ethics investigation, and he should be investigated. He’s a liar, and he’s almost certainly a crook. Who knows what else he has lied about? Leaders should lead by example. A liar is an example to no one, and he has no place in Congress. He cannot adequately represent anyone, let alone the people who were duped into voting for him.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years