The deceptive Republican is finally gone.
After a long and frustrating waiting period, George Santos, the former Congressman for New York’s 3rd Congressional district, has been expelled from the House of Representatives. The expulsion, a reaction to a litany of lies, ethical failures, and alleged criminal acts, is historic as Santos became the sixth person expelled from the House of Representatives. The expulsion, however, is likely not the end of this alleged con man’s presence in the public eye, and it certainly won’t be the last time GOP complicity will come under fire.
TURNING A BLIND EYE
While Santos’s year-long spree of deception and downright absurdity has been amusing, to say the least, it is worth reiterating that numerous Republicans stood behind his campaign in the 2022 election, with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik being an early supporter, going so far as to help him raise an estimated $100,000. Even as some Republicans began to raise alarms, Santos pushed on, and leadership failed to push him to drop out of the race.
In a January piece by The New York Times’s Nicholas Fandos, that Republican leadership:
Interviews with more than two dozen associates, adversaries and donors, as well as contemporaneous communications and other documents reviewed by The Times, show that Mr. Santos inspired no shortage of suspicion during his 2022 campaign, including in the upper echelons of his own party.
Well-connected supporters suspected him of lying and demanded to see his résumé. Another former campaign vendor warned a state party official about what he believed were questionable business practices. And the head of the main House Republican super PAC told some lawmakers and donors that he believed Mr. Santos’s story did not add up.
But in each case, rather than denounce Mr. Santos publicly, the Republicans looked the other way. They neglected to get the attention of more powerful leaders or to piece together shards of doubt about him, and allowed him to run unopposed in the 2022 primary. Some assumed that Mr. Santos’s falsehoods were garden variety political embellishments; others thought Democrats would do their dirty work for them and Mr. Santos would be exposed in the heat of a general election campaign.
Nicholas Fandos, “Santos’s Lies Were Known to Some Well-Connected Republicans,” The New York Times, January 13, 2023, sec. New York, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/13/nyregion/george-santos-republicans-lies.html.
The fact that Santos was never pushed out from the onset of his campaign is unacceptable. While many have focused on Santos himself as the source of much of the problem, a position that is fairly easy to hold, Santos couldn’t have gotten where he did without the silence of GOP operatives.
The fact that several people within the campaign knew about Santos’ lies about his career and history and didn’t publicly denounce it means that the people he was trying to represent had no means to know about the man they were considering for public office. Whether it was lying about his mother dying on 9/11 or his claims that he worked for Goldman Sachs, Santos was hiding his corrupt nature from the people, and GOP operatives let him do it, and now they may have to pay for it.
GOP Allies Exposed? Or Empty Threats?
While Santos is no longer in power, he hasn’t shown any sign of remorse or any willingness to go peacefully. As of December 3rd, Santos has made several posts explicitly accusing several members of Congress. In one post, Santos accused New York Congressman Brandon Williams of drunkenly attacking two former staffers and claimed that there would be an ethics complaint filed against Williams along with potential criminal charges.
Two days prior, Williams was shown accosting a former campaign manager of his, saying, “You f*** with my family, I will end every relationship you have. Every single friend.” While a statement by Williams’s office stated that the former manager made inappropriate comments about Williams’s family, it is unclear how accurate that is.
Still, the fact that Santos is increasingly willing to call out his former colleagues could mean that dirtier elements of the House GOP could come under scrutiny. During the debate over Santos’ expulsion, Santos accused Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) of being a woman beater, referencing accusations that came from Former White House Secretary Stephanie Grisham.
Though Grisham didn’t name Miller in her book where she outlined the accusations, once the accusations were out, Miller sued her for defamation, effectively confirming he was the target. Where that will go remains unclear, but the fact that the accusation was made should concern House GOP leadership.
Of course, there is a risk of giving Santos too much credit here. He is, after all, a brazen liar of the most ridiculous degree. His conduct suggests he has no principles of any kind and that he is beyond redemption or remorse.
It is possible, and even likely, that he is making accusations to hide from his malfeasance. I wouldn’t expect anything less from him at this point. That said, considering the party that put him into power and how they have conducted themselves over the last year and a half, I wouldn’t put it past the House GOP to have inadvertently given Santos dirt on some of their members. If that is the case, then the House GOP is in big trouble, and it could further tarnish its already sordid reputation. We will have to wait and see.
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