Adios George Santos

Thought for the day

It took nearly a year, but the House finally expelled George Santos. Below you’ll find my reaction to Friday’s vote, plus additional comments I’ve posted (here) about the disgraced former member of Congress.

Letter to the Editor (submitted two days ago):

One of the benefits of expelling George Santos from the House of Representatives is this:  Because he served just 11 months instead of the 5-year minimum, the disgraced congressman will not be eligible to collect a congressional pension.  I guess he'll have to come up with an entirely new scheme to fund his retirement.

Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach, Calif.

The stink that is Santos (posted Jan. 18, 2023)

Last week, when a dozen Nassau County GOP leaders publicly urged George Santos to resign, I thought their pleas would have more of an impact on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy than they did.  Except for a very few comments, it's been crickets from Republicans -- both electeds and rank and file.  

Back in 1972, when I served as a congressional staff assistant on Capitol Hill, there was a certain aura about members and their work.  Today, thanks to Santos and his enablers, there is an unbelievable stink from one end of the House to the other. If you ask me, no amount of air freshener will remove the odor that is Santos, but booting him out of office should do the trick.

Given all his lies, I'm not sure where George Santos belongs.  It certainly isn't in Congress.

George Santos admits he lied (posted on Dec. 27, 2022)

New York's Rep.-elect George Santos admitted Monday he lied about his college education and work experience.  If you ask me, his "everyone does it" explanation is a slap in the face of the electorate who voted for him in November.  If that wasn't bad enough, his lies about his Jewish grandparents escaping the Holocaust must have been a gut punch to the entire Santos family.  After all, there is no record of them being Jewish.  

Liars cannot tell the truth from falsehoods.  They manipulate and prey on people.  Their M.O. is to be bold in public but coy when it comes to taking responsibility for what they've done.  The idea of Santos being sworn in as a member of Congress is wrong on so many levels.  I know GOP Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is counting on Santos to support his campaign for Speaker; but, if ever there was a time when country trumps party, well, this is it.

The congressman-elect may have won his midterm race back in November, but he already has betrayed his constituents.  Plain and simple, he cannot be allowed to serve as a member of the House of Representatives.  Given his track record of lies, who in their right mind would believe Santos when he takes the oath of office and swears to support the Constitution?