The Santos question

Shameless lies

Friends,

Sorry to burden you twice today, but I wanted to draw your attention to an interview last night of newly-elected Republican congressman George Santos by former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (who left the Democratic Party, and was filling in for Tucker Carlson in what may be her trial run for Fox News).

Obviously, the lies Santos told voters were substantial. They went to the heart of who he is and his qualifications for office. (They’re hardly on par with the truth-shavings that Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal or Elizabeth Warren might have committed, despite Gabbard’s attempt at bipartisan blame.)

Gabbard didn’t mince words. “All of these lies that you’ve told, not just one little lie, or one little embellishment — these are blatant lies,” Gabbard said on a split-screen shot with Santos. "My question is, do you have no shame?”

Tucker Carlson @TuckerCarlson

Rep.-elect George Santos to Tulsi: I can explain.

“Have you no shame?” The same question asked of Senate Joe McCarthy during his communist witch hunt. I doubt the question has ever been asked on Fox News before.

Another McCarthy — Kevin — has refused to repudiate Santos. That’s not surprising. McCarthy has always refused to repudiate Republicans mired in scandal, including Trump. With the vote for his speakership less than a week away, McCarthy needs every vote he can get, including Santos’s.

Santos could possibly face an ethics investigation, and the House could expel him if two-thirds of members agreed to do so. But both seem unlikely. Republicans will control the chamber with a narrow majority. The district Santos will represent usually votes for the Democratic candidate, so I doubt Republicans will want to go back to the voters and risk losing the seat.

Meanwhile, Anne Donnelly, the Republican district attorney for Nassau County, said that the “numerous fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Congressman-elect Santos are nothing short of stunning,” and that she would investigate whether he had committed any crimes.

The Santos question brings into sharp relief the reality of today’s Republican Party. It is little more than a tissue of lies. And it has no shame.