George Santos Lied About Everything, But He’s Hardly Alone – We the people… deserve better. On Tuesday, Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) announced that he is “temporarily stepping down” from his two congressional committees.
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Though the freshman Congressman has faced numerous calls for his resignation and is now facing multiple investigations – for everything from his personal and campaign finances to lies about his resume, and even family background – he has refused to resign.
Santos is certainly a serial liar, as he has falsely said where he went to high school and college, claimed he worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup – he didn’t – and even alleged that he ran an animal charity at one point.
He has previously said his mother’s death was related to 9/11 and that his grandmother was a victim of the Holocaust.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) had previously insisted that Santos would be allowed to sit on committees as an elected member of the House of Representatives, but also made clear that Santos would be removed from Congress if a House Ethics Committee investigation determines that he violated the law, Fox News reported.
“If for some way when go through Ethics, and he has broken the law, then we will remove him,” McCarthy told members of the press just last week.
The Lying Kings
It was in December that The New York Times broke the story that Santos had lied about much of his background, including his education, and employment history. Some Democrats have called for him to resign.
Yet, as The New York Times also noted in a follow-up report, “George Santos is in a Class of His Own. But Other Politicians Have Embellished Their Resumes, Too.” It was also a year ago that The Conversation offered a story titled, ”We know politicians lie – but do we care?”
Apparently, in the United States, we care mostly based on party. This explains why President Joe Biden can repeatedly tell fabricated stories and barely get questioned.
Case in point, even as there are growing calls for Santos to resign, Biden told the “heartwarming” but repeatedly debunked Amtrak story yet again this week. The tall tale that involves Biden’s conversations with a train conductor has been fact-checked multiple times by media outlets and the details have never added up.
Yet, Biden continues to tell that and other stories.
Moreover, we’re learning Biden hasn’t exactly been completely forthcoming regarding the classified documents found at his office and home. Even as Santos was stepping down from his committee assignments, news broke that the FBI had searched the offices of the Penn Biden Center in November, a point not disclosed to the media despite a promise of transparency from the White House.
George Santos and Lies, Lies, Lies – Everyone Does It
George Santos had tried to argue that his lies are no worse than Biden’s – and frankly, he has a point.
Joe Biden lied about his background, exaggerated his academic record, and has even been accused of plagiarizing speeches on multiple occasions.
Speaking to Tulsi Gabbard, guest host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Fox News in December, Santos said, “Look at Joe Biden. Joe Biden’s been lying to the American people for 40 years. He’s the president of the United States. Democrats over-resoundingly support him.”
Again, Santos has a point, but it is a bad point to make. It highlights that it is simply easier to call out political lies from those in the other party today and use that as an excuse. We’re stuck in a constant loop of “look at what the other guy did” in this country and use it as an excuse.
But the fact remains, was Joe Biden new to D.C., his lies would be caught today, and his political career would be ended before it had a chance to begin. Santos should resign, as his lies swayed voters. Of course, even if Santos is able to serve out his term, it is likely his lies will ensure he’s not back for a second one.
But that shouldn’t be good enough. Those elected officials caught lying to the American people repeatedly should be forced to pack up their offices.
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Author Experience and Expertise: A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.