Dec 28, 2022·edited Dec 29, 2022Liked by Robert Reich
The New York State election commission should reconvene and decertify Santos' win, due to his fraud and disqualification to even be running for office, and certify Zimmerman as the winner.
Shouldn't have to go to the expense or trouble. Once new information revealed he may not even be a citizen, may have robbed someone of their checks in Brazil, his certification should simply be reversed, and he should forfeit the election to his opponent.
I think the real question going forward is "does he meet the residency qualification to even run in the election?" If it turns out the answer is, "no," then the NY commission would have to act. We now know he can't be trusted with privileged information that he would have access to once in office. Am no Tulsi fan, but applaud her confrontation with him. This issue is not finished, and the media is not done with him.
Too convoluted. By the time they get all this information it will be 2025, and this asshole will have been in office over a year. The time to lance this abscess is now.
Actually, this would be a pretty straightforward and quick process, unlike empowering his fraud by asking him to resign and then holding another election. He was not qualified to run, his lies disqualified him, especially if he is not a citizen, he cannot run for office. He committed fraud so all the votes he obtained are tainted. They can disqualify him from being on the ballot and de-certify his election. Zimmerman can be certified as the rightful winner of that seat.
One would think. But when did the last Republican politician lose his or her seat from violating the law? Scores of Republicans have violated the laws, including the Constitution & their oath of office, with impunity in the last half dozen years. Our system of justice has shown little hard evidence of improvement in accountability since the Trump administration
Jaime Ramirez ; I agree ; there is a need for better vetting of candidates, not just a cry for 'better Republican 'quality" of candidates, like some cheaters and court packers want ( with more 'clout/money?). The Federal level of government and Justice should intervene too. This is a Congressional seat ; isn't it? No more Fraud!!!
I'm afraid what is finished is any sense that any accountability will come to any Republican violations of the law. The whole justice system & system of government loses credibility.
he's an even worse liar than herschell..... and I'm pretty sure everything he said to Gabbard was a lie as well. Totally untrustworthy. Wondering what his constituents are saying..
The point is, Greg, "He needs to be prosecuted!" Who is going to step up and see this is done. Santos lame excuse that "everybody lies on their resume" is unacceptable. I certainly didn't lie on mine.
Fay, I have heard people lie on resumes, but usually not creating an entirely new persona. Most employers when they found out, would unhire him. It should be easier now because he hasn't been fully hired yet.
In the cases where one must be prosecuted before facing consequences, it has become a game where this seems impossible to get done because "who's going to do it?" What came first the chicken or the egg? Lots of chickens, it seems!
That is so frustrating, Laurie! We all can see clearly that certain people have broken the law & should be expelled from Congress, the Supreme Court or presidency, but we're left wondering who'll do it as nobody steps up to the plate.
Michael, I am with you. Now, will they actually hold a redo now that the people know what a liar Santos is, that's the question. The other part of that question is, would people still vote for Santos even knowing he is a major liar? I suspect the Republicans will, but I am not sure about any independents.
The Georgia election was a run-off already stipulated by law in close elections. Of course, the Republican legislature rigged it so that no new voters could be registered, but Warnock won anyway.
Jean, I think that would be a really good idea and an honest response, but I won't hold my breath. Democrats, and Republicans in power do not seem to be able to correct any of the Republican bad behavior these days. We have several insurrectionists in Congress who will be "swearing an oath" next week to uphold and defend our Constitution while they keep their fingers crossed, knowing they don't feel a need to honor such an oath if they decide there is more money or power doing something else. Every one of the insurrectionists should have to state the oath individually aloud in front of the whole House or Senate. I want to have the oath repeated by everyone in Congress every year. OK, the Supreme Court justices too. It might be a good reminder. That won't happen though because whoever becomes Speaker will feel no need to hold Republicans to any oath. Now Democrats, one tiny slip will be a major whine and require some kind of punishment. The hypocrisy is amazing.
Hi Ruth, spot on as usual. What good is the Constitution or any law or regulation if we don't demand enforcement. The 13th amendment is VERY clear on the penalty of insurrection against Federal, Local, or State, Government. So why does no one in authority penalize the government officials, only the non-government insurrectionists?
Exactly Fay! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I keep getting surveys about whether or not trump should be prosecuted etc…no surveys needed. Follow the damn law and the Constitution.
They must be able to show that he violated New York law. Lying is not enough. Citizenship is a requirement and now that has been brought into question.
That mechanism does not exist, nor, in reasonable times, should it.
Our system of governance is simply not built for the kind of corruption, criminality and anti-democratic lying liars that Donnie Trump has ushered onto the forefront of American politics.
"The New York State election commission should reconvene and decertify Santos' win, due to his fraud and disqualification to even be running for office, and certify Zimmerman as the winner."
Sounds very Trumpian to me.
There is no provision in the law for "decertifying" an already certified election.
That people here seem to want to do it anyway is quite depressing (not to mention dangerous).
This idea of "decertifying" elections is bad news, whether it comes from the Left or Right. No matter how ill-conceived their choice, the voters of NY's 3rd congressional district elected lying liar, George Santos. Now we're all going to have to live with the consequences.
What would be "Trumpian" is making up a reason to decertify an election that clearly doesn't exist, being told by the DOJ and everybody else that there was no fraud, and still insisting it be reversed. This is a different situation, obviously. This is a candidate whose unfitness slipped past somehow, but became obvious after the election was certified. The candidate himself admitted he lied, yet seems to think that isn't a big deal, he should still be able to serve even though many of the votes he obtained were likely based upon some of the things he told voters about himself that were not true and he admitted were not true. In a case like this, where a candidate whose votes were certified, but it was later found to be because of fraud, the commission should be able to withdraw previous certification in light of this evidence. Nothing Trumpian about removing an unfit fraudulent candidate. It's the opposite, because they would see being an unfit fraud as a plus.
Of course you're right, but it's a moot point. While the Trumpian way is based on lies, false claims and innuendos, there was no available mechanism for them to hang their hats on to decertify the results of any elections.
Imagine, Jean that such a mechanism existed. Next time the Trumpanzees might actually find someone they could pressure to decertify an election, regardless of whether or not there was an actual basis for the decertification.
Santos is a scumbag, no question about that, but who are any of us to throw out the choices the voters who elected him made? 74 million people voted for Donnie in 2020. There's a lot of misguided folks out there, all we can do is outnumber them every chance we get.
There is no provision in current law for "decertifying". You either have elections follow the law, or you don't. You are arguing for "don't". Which is a fantastically bad idea.
There should be some way to stop an unfit liar from taking office, who got votes because of his fraud. It appears certifying is only a numbers function where they just verify that so many votes were received for each candidate, so this probably would not be able to cure this injustice that way. I can see why you would have concern because people like Trump would use it to gyp rightfully elected people so looks like all that can be done is to file a recall petition and then do another election, as expensive and time consuming as that is.
There "should be" a lot of things, Jean, but life doesn't work that way. The voice of the people "should be" inviolate, but Republicans are doing everything in their power to make voting difficult for Dem-leaning voters and finding new ways to throw out election results.
We know George Santos is a lying scumbag, but you could find plenty of Repugs who would say the same thing about Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff and others. They said it about Hillary Clinton. Should we allow those voices, like the mob that stormed the Capitol - who certainly looked like the majority on camera - to decertify elected Democratic candidates? You have to be careful what you wish for, retribution can be a double-edged sword.
So essentially, he lied, benefitted as a result, got elected, and only admitted the truth because he got caught! And now thinks that he just has to say sorry, and keep all the benefits of his ill-gotten gains. What's the world coming to? Whatever happened to consequences of your actions? What message does this give to young people?
Sadly, Americans have been getting the message that most of us do not matter. It’s not just the politicians. The business methods of many corporations teach us this too. You cannot trust anyone. And what happens to a country where trust is eroded and the people cannot believe anything? I have heard that is a prime time for tyrants to move in.
And he or some other republofascist could move in by 2024, which makes it all the more crucial that Republican lawbreakers receive justice during this administration, which was, after all, part of the reason Biden won the election, in anticipation that at last violators of the Constitution will face accountability.
Noel, we have been gradually moving in this direction for quite some time. I think it began with Ford pardoning Nixon for the crimes he committed with some BS about healing the country. That, of course was nonsense, but it taught the next generations of Republicans that cheating and lying can be pretty effective. Heck, Kissinger helped with coups around the world and did a bunch of stuff we don't even know about while he is considered "a great statesman." Reagan just had to say he didn't remember when confronted with crimes committed within his administration and it was hardly questioned. Clinton lied about a sexual connection that should have only been between himself and Hillary as well as Ms. Lewinsky, and he was impeached. Newt Gingrich who was having his own "relations" at the same time was not held accountable and only recently have people brought up his appalling hypocrisy. It seems that when one Republican gets away with something nefarious, they learn from it for the next time they want to lie and cheat to get something they want and don't deserve. Trump happened to be one of the most involved with the cheating and lying and to honor him, Republicans made him president, well, the electoral college did. Those white states just loved their lying cheating child-man Donnie. Now we have a man who ran for office in New York who thought lying was just the ticket to get elected, and he was right. I do fault the NY media too for not checking. They have all kinds of sources and could have gotten to the truth before the election. I am waiting to see what kind of cheating and lying will be next for Republican America because it is guaranteed to be coming and soon.
The failure of 5 supposedly great local newspapers to catch Santos in not one, but TWO elections is what I don't understand. New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, New York Daily News, and Long Island's own Newsday, did not take the most basic look at Santos as a candidate. The collective list of Pulitzer Prizes for these papers is astounding, and they should return every one. They're jumping over each other to get the latest dirt on Santos, of which there seems no limit, without apologizing to the public for their abject failures in the months before the primary and general elections.
How this happened at some of the largest and best resourced papers in the nation is a terrible statement about the state of journalism in general.
The findings of the January 6th committee show other atrocious lapses in reporting. Apparently no one at the same "fine" papers thought digging around online for information in plain sight was worth gathering to alert thus nation of the impending violence planned in view for all to see.
I wouldn't just blame the media. What about his Democratic opponent, Zimmerman? Even a cursory investigation into Santos's background would have revealed most of this information. Supposedly the Zimmerman campaign did dig up some of this stuff, but then the question is, why didn't they use it in the campaign? There is definitely something very fishy about the NY Democratic Party and its leadership. They basically handed 4 Democratic seats in the House to Republicans and this particular contest reveals exactly how hard some of them fought to keep their seats. Heads should roll over this.
Maria, I am thinking the problem with our newspapers is that they are having so much chaos in their ranks, they have started doing a lot of navel-gazing instead of looking outward to see what insanity Republicans and a few Democrats are involved in. Also, they are corporate entities that tend to report things that their corporate owners want reported. Checking out the veracity of a congressional candidate does not seem to meet the test for worthiness, that is until now when the elections are over and a lying cheating fool has been elected to our congress. The newspapers and other media should be ashamed, but of course, are not. They will have all kinds of excuses.
Laurie, ain't it the truth. Republicans constantly whine about and sue related to fraud, but when they are caught at it, they want nothing done about it. What hypocrites and frauds!
Some suspicions about effective opposition research. Campaigns such as this, however, have professionals at delaying disclosure to reclassification of funds that only gets untangled after the election.
So convenient when they want to 'win'. It obviously should be required that some effective 'opposition research' be done and printed BEFORE the election. Otherwise, it is useless, unless they want to drive home that the public does not matter anyway! Who needs the truth?
A long running concern with the DCCC's model has been one balancing local and national objectives. Certainly the national objective is attaining and retaining control of the House is one we all agree on. The way we get there has been a multi-year source of frustration.
House elections have a more local character than the Senate and the absence of trained resources at the local level is more of an issue. Whenever the Dems put efforts into developing local resources, e.g. Howard Dean's 50 state strategy, Obama donating the VAN system, some of Wellstone Actions (now re:Power) supports, the results have been promising. That said, resourcing of opposition research remains uneven.
The issue seems to have reared its ugly head in NY-CD3 this cycle. Opposition research on the right is well-funded and performed by dark money groups working in conjunction with the captured media. The Dems always talk about items such as opposition research and earned media but do not systematically plan, resource, and execute. That needs to change and the lazy reliance on social media as the main source should be understood for its limitations.
Although there cannot be campaign coordination, that does not prevent developing a network of vendors in this area. That work for 2024 should have already started.
DCCC has disgraced itself repeatedly by blacklisting progressives and favoring corporate DINOs like those supported by AIPAC and DMFI. I would not give a rusty dime to DCCC until the DINO leadership and tendencies are purged for good. They claim they’ve cleaned up their act, but it’s a lie. Ask Summer Lee (who won in spite of them), Jessica Cisneros, or Jamie McLeod-Skinner.
We no longer see the investigative journalism we used to get from these newspapers. The news media have abdicated their responsibility to the public by not fully airing the crimes & dangers of Republican politicians.
It sure looks that way, Jaime. I wonder if there is a law against too much media consolidation that is not enforced, like anti trust laws. They aren't enforced either.
But is there anything illegal in what he did? Look at Trump, he practically got elected by lying and misrepresenting himself. That’s maybe not an exact 1 to 1 of what happened with Santos, but it doesn’t seem that being dishonest in politics has ever really carried any serious repercussions. Same thing happened with all the Supreme Court justices who lied about their commitment on Roe v Wade. It’s up to people to hold them accountable with votes, that’s the only chance for justice being served in the political realm.
Maybe so, but again will that actually result in consequences. I hate to keep bringing up #45 but he has done far worse, it seems, and coasted through a whole 4 years with no real issues.
Agreed. Growing up impoverished is not an excuse for fabricating credentials. Many who are raised in poverty attend college and earn the right to put that on their resume. Lock him up.
It will not be long before he recrafts this to be a victim of the liberal media. And then from being a victim to being a hero. It's the new Repubican leadership mantra.
Corey, I forgot that step in the creation of lying and cheating as Republican go to's. Yes, Santos will be seen as a victim of the "Libs" and his media will whine for him that he just made a juvenile mistake. He will be the hero of Republican-world because he successfully got elected on lies and an "R" in front of his name. Nothing Santos did was a juvenile mistake. It was all carefully planned to tug at people's sympathies and it worked. For those pathetic voters, he is a hero. It is a really low bar.
Where the Repugs are concerned, the answer to, “Have you no shame?” Has been a resounding “NO!” For quite, some time. They have no shame; they have no moral values; they have no platform beyond obstruction; they have no intention to lead, serve or otherwise contribute to a working democracy. They are a CRIME SYNDICATE, fed by billionaire fascists who believe, in turn, they are above the law and no one should expect them to pay taxes.
Dawna, one has to care about something important to have a shame reflex. When an entire party stands for nothing beyond money and power, it is hard to even connect with them. A whole lot of members of Congress voted to refuse to certify an election that Biden had clearly won. They knew it and people around them knew they knew. Liars at every level in the party. It does not seem to matter where in the country or at what level. And, they don't ever want to be held accountable for any of the things they do, "above the law." They have put a whole lot of judges and justices in place to help them get away with pretty much anything. Maybe Democrats need to start speaking more forcefully about lying and cheating not being what our founders had in mind and that both are not acceptable in Christianity. The problem, a whole lot of people in this country are totally OK with Republican bad behavior and also want nothing done to stop it. Ugh!
Carol, you are right about cheating and lying not being acceptable in any religion, but alas, Republicans care nothing for any religion but the brand of Christianity they believe lets them do whatever they want to do if they claim god told them to do it. None of it has to make any sense because lately Republicans think as little as possible about their candidates and what they stand for and are doing in office. They only want to support the "R" and make those "R's" fit into a warped understanding of Christianity. It really is sick!
Yes. You might enjoy reading “The Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Kleine. The crime Syndicate aka the RNC has deployed weaponized propaganda through outlets like Murdoch’s “Fox Entertainment” or the Mercer’s Meta/Cambridge Analytica, famous for targeting Facebook users. The Billionaire Gang was organized under Charles Koch—these are the fascists pulling puppet strings, funneling money to the RNC under the cynical euphemism,“Citizens United.” It’s going to take a grassroots movement facing overwhelming resources to save this democracy from these fascists. I don’t hold out much hope.
Yes,Dawna you are spot on. And as I read on and on my blood begins to boil. That vile little liar thinks that he should be allowed to go to Congress.
More important is that decent people can’t even keep up with the pages and pages and pages of deceit these people keep sending to press. They think no one will notice, or have time to care about who , we the American public , allows to work for us.
If the people of the 3 rd. District of New York don’t recall him we certainly have lowered the bar for decency. There is none? We should not impose that attitude of carelessness on the rest of the country.
Where are the grown up leaders ?
And just where does one go to be heard?
I do not want that slimy, hollow, liar in my Congress. Or any of the insurrection enablers either.
The sad part ( oh you mean another ?)is that we are allowing mental degenerates to lower the bar on our entire system. That my friends just works because really good citizens start to give up. I would have been fired from any job if I had lied about anything. Are we truly beyond redemption?
The voters Did Not elect George Santos. They voted for someone who does not exist. There needs to be a major background check on this man. The only qualifications to be a House Representative are 25+ in age and a U.S. citizen for a minimum of 7 years. Was he actually born in New York? When is his real birthdate? Is he actually a U.S. citizen and is George Santos really his name? I think identity theft is possible.
You don't have to be born in the US for any office except President, but you must be a Naturalized or Native Citizen to run for any office. So being born in Brazil does not prevent Santos from office, not attaining US citizenship does. (and that is easy to determine - there are records of every naturalized citizen in the US)
I don’t think any background check was done during the campaign. Santos claimed he was born in New York but was he really? Sure, someone born in another country can become a U.S. citizen but they have to live in this country for 7 years to be eligible to work as a House Representative. I want to know what else he lied about. I’m angry and sad. Being a politician used to be an honorable profession
It's not just sad it is disgusting. What the first legislators of this Democratic Republic strove for was honor. To create a Nation that represented all (well, if they were upper class white men) men equally with no reference to wealth or position. Maybe their mistake was not recognizing the role of the "other gender", working people, regardless of skin color or religion. But given the culture of the times in all parts of the then civilized world I think they legislated as best they could. Women had long ago given up their power. I was surprised when looking up the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States how few names I recognized. Marshall was the first I recognized, yet he was the 4th Chief Justice. I guess honor wasn't as wide spread as I have always believed
Fay, the interesting thought is that even his name and identity may be a lie and that he has a stolen identity. There truly needs to be some kind of serious consequences for what Santos (or whoever he is) has done. I doubt it will happen, but it should.
Christine, I hadn't thought past the lies the media has been reporting. I didn't consider that everything about Santos could be a lie, stolen identity as you suggest. The state of NY needs to call for a new election. I think he should be unable to run since not enough is known about him and who he really is.
Very interested in what your procedures for eradicating this idiot -- or is he just an "id" -- Nancy. How does New York handle this and what is the local perspective.
I've received many comments on my post but can only see yours. Perhaps because I'm a free member rather than paid so I see only the first post. To your question, the newly drawn NY Congressional District 3 spans 2 counties (Nassau and Queens) and the DAs of both counties have launched an investigation. In addition, the Federal court of the Eastern District of NY has launched a federal investigation. The GOP on Long Island has said they will not support Santos in 2024?!? (Oh, but they support him now!) There was a demonstration at the Nassau County courthouse that drew over 200 people who called for him to step down.
BTW, Santos also campaigned as a moderate, and he anything but.
I feel so disenchanted by so many politicians, mostly GOPpers. It seems all their leadership cares about is having a person in office with an (R) next to their name. As if that insures how they will vote. Whatever happened to independent thinking and discernment, and oh yeah, integrity!! Are our legislators clones that pop out of a cookie cutter with a letter next to their name that tells them how they must vote?
Thank you, Nancy for your nice and thorough description of what's happening up there. So many of these people have lost all sense of Constitutional integrity. Very scary. Stay safe. Happy New Year.
The new House GOP leadership will waste no time in investigating Hunter Biden and attempting to impeach President Biden. But Santos will be seated with no questions? The double standard is clear. Citizens have been sent to jail for voter fraud. Why is falsifying your election application not subject to criminal prosecution?
Their aim is not to prove anything. It will be to raise doubt in the public mind about Biden's character, just as it was the tobacco industry's goal to raise doubt about the dangers of cigarette smoking,and the petroleum industry doubt about global warming.they have it down to a fine art,honed over several decades.they'll bring in their bogus Witnesses from different front groups with Noble sounding names.
Sociopath George Santos epitomizes what it has meant to be a republican politician in the last 40 years, which is basically political jabberwocky taken to a society-wrecking level.
The GOP is no longer a legitimate political party, just an association of feckless grifters elected not to responsibly govern but to destroy government.
When will the country have enough of this kind of blatant gaslighting?? He should be disqualified for being elected on a fraudulent prospectus. If you did that for an IPO you'd be prosecuted.
The Republican Party is at fault for not vetting Santos. He needs to go. Now.
And Republicans should not have ever put Trump on the ballot.
But we should be reluctant to dismiss any otherwise good candidate just because he/she has preemptively DISCLOSED prior run-ins with the law. Good people have rap sheets too - - - Dr. Martin Luther King had quite a rap sheet. If we were to dismiss any a candidate because they hav been charged, then an unscrupulous opponent already in office could disqualify a potential rival simply by framing that rival on a trumped-up assertion or conviction. This is an old tactic for despots - I think Putin uses it.
Bob, we do live in a flawed world, but there should be a line related to behavior beyond which one should not pass. Having a rap sheet is not a disqualifier unless it involves murder, armed robbery, child abuse, and a few other serious crimes. Taking candy from a store is not at that level. Lying about one's persona in its particulars is pretty serious, whether there is a rap sheet or not. Who knows what/who Santos is and where his loyalties lie. Of what value would an oath be to someone who lied every day during his campaign? We saw how much it mattered to Trump who lied more than 30,000 times in public while in office and a whole lot since than and has caused a lot of trouble not keeping his oath, even helping to plan and cheerlead an insurrection.
Mr. Reich, I'm very glad that you sent us this second commentary today! George Santos MUST be kept out of Congress! The thought of him getting an office, and staff, and all the benefits that congressmen get makes me furious! I swear, this little bastard kept me awake last night! And I echo another comment here that says, What does his behavior say to our young people? that lying will get you anywhere you want to go with impunity?
We cannot let up until this little weasel is prohibited from being sworn in as a legitimate congressman! I will call my state's congressional legislators, and I urge everyone to also do so! Another blogger today suggested that Santos may have also lied about being American-born. He may have been born in Brazil, and not even an American citizen. Where did he get the $700,000 for his campaign? Which millionaires paid his way? There is SO much more to this story, and please, please, keep up the pressure, folks!!!!!
To add insult to injury, his name in Spanish, is "saints!" He's Jorge DIABLO!
Hey, Steve and Jan! I missed this! I thought you were telling ME to "cut the bull!" which is kinda funny now that I know what you meant. I didn't know there was such a website, which I just looked and WOW that is so amazing that there are records of who gives what to wannabe politicians! Thanks for illuminating this situation and I hope LOTS of people clicked that link as I just did 24 hours later!
I gave the federal election commission site, but for state elections you’ll have your own site. For example Missouri it’s MEC Missouri election skews me Missouri ethics something
Hey, what is promising is that so many of us folks are "up in arms" that the commercial news media is encouraging ACTION to keep this guy out of congress. What pissed me off so much was to hear him laughing, "Yeah, I lied, no what?" We haven't seen the end of this--lots of us will keep it up until he gives up in defeat!!! (I don't get expanded TV news, but i can only imagine what Rachael Maddow is saying about this!)
Haha! As his answers clearly demonstrate, he has NO shame whatsoever! But, then again, that's a requirement for being a Republican these days. Glad Tulsi asked the question, but WTF? Subbing for Tucker Carlson, really? That's pretty shameful in itself, Tulsi... And to equate Elizabeth Warren's silly little transgression with what Santos is doing is absurd beyond belief.
Sorry this is so long, but George Santos is now my Congressman and I am thoroughly disgusted. I live in a New York district that has been Democratic for years, but was recently gerrymandered. In addition to lying about his education and work history, George Santos didn't live where he was registered to vote, claimed to run a nonexistent animal rescue, and had 2 evictions in the past 7 years. Apparently he was charged with check fraud in Brazil and served as a director of an investment group accused by the SEC of running a Ponzi scheme. He is only 34 years old and has no political experience.
We get dozens of glossy ads from people running for office, but they contain little actual information about the candidates. I always research what schools they attended, what kinds of jobs they held, etc. - but only do so for Democrats.
Dishonest candidates seem to be common in today's Republican Party. Outright deception should disqualify people like George Santos from serving in Congress. Even security guards are fingerprinted and have background checks. Why aren't background checks required for all political candidates? I heard that a political recall is possible, so maybe we can fight this - but it's doubtful. It's just another nail in the coffin of Democracy!
Thank Andrew Cuomo who disliked progressive Dems so much he appointed a "moderate" top state court to thwart the liberal legislature. That court appointed the Pittsburgh grad student who gerrymandered your district, Linki, and chopped up mine. Now Hochul, the gubernatorial successor Cuomo designated, has nominated a new top judge as "moderate" as the Cuomo jurist he'd succeed. The Cuomo-Hochul Dem party head who failed to oppo-research Santos in TWO elections has a lock on his job, the state GOP hoping to turn New York purple ain't just whistling "Dixie," and NY's own Randy Andy hopes for a comeback.
You make some good points. Thanks to gerrymandering, this year quite a few local Democratic politicians were removed from districts they served for years to new districts where they weren't known. Our former mayor Bloomberg and our current Mayor, Eric Adams (who came out of nowhere and reportedly didn't even live in New York) were Republicans not long before running as Democrats. How is it possible that Democrats neglected to check out George Santos? The Democratic party can't possibly be that incompetent.
Linki —Andrew Cuomo *was* the NY Democratic party most of his life, starting in his father's administration. He appointed Jay Jacobs party chair, so when Andy tried his first comeback and Jacobs sided with Hochul, Jacobs cemented a pedestal for himself in the Hochul structure. It was Jacobs who should have directed scrutiny of Santos but didn't. Other big party problems abound, but Zeldin and the nyPost were able to run away with the crime issue while the party didn't do its job. Where crime rates are lowest was where GOP votes were highest and high crime rates meant high Dem votes. Yes, Adams kept a fictitious Bed-Stuy address while living in and running for NYC mayor from Jersey. But he's a better friend to NYC property owners than any of his Dem opponents were. Adams spent the big freeze in the Caribbean. Although redistricting tried to forcefeed my district a new (well-credentialed) carpetbagger, our old rep Jerry Nadler kept a seat, we elected one of our own, and well-credentialed carpetbagger has returned home. I'd say Jacobs has to go, except why should we expect Hochul to appoint somebody better? NY politics used to be exemplary.
Linki: "The Democratic party can't possibly be that incompetent." Did you really just write that? You must not have had your morning cuppa java yet! Have one on me. Have two. 🙀☕☕
How Did George Santos Win with a Fictitious Resume? —Taegan Goddard 28 December 2022
Steve Israel: “The answer is a combination of Democratic complacency, Republican extremism, and media decline in a House district that I know intimately.”
The saddest thing about the Santos lying issue is that he is only doing what so many others have done. He said he will not resign and will do whatever it takes to keep his new position. That does not say much for Santos or the people and media who supposedly followed him throughout the campaign and didn't learn of his massive lying until the election was over. Clearly Santos has no moral compass, just like so many other Republicans. Lying and cheating and fraud in general are their hallmarks now and I do not see it getting better any time soon since it works so well for them.
The New York State election commission should reconvene and decertify Santos' win, due to his fraud and disqualification to even be running for office, and certify Zimmerman as the winner.
Santos should resign and face Zimmerman again in an extraordinary election. Hey, if they can do it in Georgia, why not New York?
Shouldn't have to go to the expense or trouble. Once new information revealed he may not even be a citizen, may have robbed someone of their checks in Brazil, his certification should simply be reversed, and he should forfeit the election to his opponent.
I think the real question going forward is "does he meet the residency qualification to even run in the election?" If it turns out the answer is, "no," then the NY commission would have to act. We now know he can't be trusted with privileged information that he would have access to once in office. Am no Tulsi fan, but applaud her confrontation with him. This issue is not finished, and the media is not done with him.
This Gabbard interview may signal a sea change in Fox News coverage of Reptilians.
We wish........
I doubt it. But maybe if it attracts more viewers and advertisements.
Doubt it seriously
Too convoluted. By the time they get all this information it will be 2025, and this asshole will have been in office over a year. The time to lance this abscess is now.
Actually, this would be a pretty straightforward and quick process, unlike empowering his fraud by asking him to resign and then holding another election. He was not qualified to run, his lies disqualified him, especially if he is not a citizen, he cannot run for office. He committed fraud so all the votes he obtained are tainted. They can disqualify him from being on the ballot and de-certify his election. Zimmerman can be certified as the rightful winner of that seat.
One would think. But when did the last Republican politician lose his or her seat from violating the law? Scores of Republicans have violated the laws, including the Constitution & their oath of office, with impunity in the last half dozen years. Our system of justice has shown little hard evidence of improvement in accountability since the Trump administration
Jaime Ramirez ; I agree ; there is a need for better vetting of candidates, not just a cry for 'better Republican 'quality" of candidates, like some cheaters and court packers want ( with more 'clout/money?). The Federal level of government and Justice should intervene too. This is a Congressional seat ; isn't it? No more Fraud!!!
If Santos doesn’t step down in disgrace, or if the republicans don’t call him out, the GOP in America is finished. This is the last straw.
I'm afraid what is finished is any sense that any accountability will come to any Republican violations of the law. The whole justice system & system of government loses credibility.
I wish
There’s been too many straws. None of them were the last. America is ill.
he's an even worse liar than herschell..... and I'm pretty sure everything he said to Gabbard was a lie as well. Totally untrustworthy. Wondering what his constituents are saying..
Considering all the 'lying and fabrication' of and in his - resume - makes me wonder IF?
George Santos is his real given birth name. Sounds a lot like 'George Soros' who is
a vastly different person from 'Santos'...
Santos may be changing districts… to Riker’s Island. What he did was multiple counts of criminal fraud. He needs to be prosecuted!
The point is, Greg, "He needs to be prosecuted!" Who is going to step up and see this is done. Santos lame excuse that "everybody lies on their resume" is unacceptable. I certainly didn't lie on mine.
Fay, I have heard people lie on resumes, but usually not creating an entirely new persona. Most employers when they found out, would unhire him. It should be easier now because he hasn't been fully hired yet.
In the cases where one must be prosecuted before facing consequences, it has become a game where this seems impossible to get done because "who's going to do it?" What came first the chicken or the egg? Lots of chickens, it seems!
I love your last sentence LOL
Thanks, Fay!
That is so frustrating, Laurie! We all can see clearly that certain people have broken the law & should be expelled from Congress, the Supreme Court or presidency, but we're left wondering who'll do it as nobody steps up to the plate.
The voters, if given a fair chance , will!
And more than a few turkeys…
For sure, Greg DeCowsky
https://apnews.com/article/Republican-George-Santos-Investigation-New-York-d783ca654dc08aba892f694ef2584af7?user_email=558bf581d2c30dbac686e9e57ca4af77358785afd4cc41864279b88087c4a593&utm_medium=Afternoon_Wire&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_campaign=Afternoon%20Wire%20Dec.%2028&utm_term=Afternoon%20Wire
He’s a fish in a barrel at this point. And Murdoch seems to be disentangling himself from tRumpworld.
I wouldn’t trust Gabbard as far as I can throw her. I’ll be interested to hear whether there is any truth to the stories of HER Russian connections.
TULSI also managed to diminish two democrats in the process. There is no moral equivalence between the two democrats she chose to diminish and Santos.
Janet R (CO) ; I was watching MSNBC last evening and an oligarch was found to be one of his (Santos') campaign donors .
Michael, I am with you. Now, will they actually hold a redo now that the people know what a liar Santos is, that's the question. The other part of that question is, would people still vote for Santos even knowing he is a major liar? I suspect the Republicans will, but I am not sure about any independents.
The Georgia election was a run-off already stipulated by law in close elections. Of course, the Republican legislature rigged it so that no new voters could be registered, but Warnock won anyway.
Jean, I think that would be a really good idea and an honest response, but I won't hold my breath. Democrats, and Republicans in power do not seem to be able to correct any of the Republican bad behavior these days. We have several insurrectionists in Congress who will be "swearing an oath" next week to uphold and defend our Constitution while they keep their fingers crossed, knowing they don't feel a need to honor such an oath if they decide there is more money or power doing something else. Every one of the insurrectionists should have to state the oath individually aloud in front of the whole House or Senate. I want to have the oath repeated by everyone in Congress every year. OK, the Supreme Court justices too. It might be a good reminder. That won't happen though because whoever becomes Speaker will feel no need to hold Republicans to any oath. Now Democrats, one tiny slip will be a major whine and require some kind of punishment. The hypocrisy is amazing.
Hi Ruth, spot on as usual. What good is the Constitution or any law or regulation if we don't demand enforcement. The 13th amendment is VERY clear on the penalty of insurrection against Federal, Local, or State, Government. So why does no one in authority penalize the government officials, only the non-government insurrectionists?
Exactly Fay! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I keep getting surveys about whether or not trump should be prosecuted etc…no surveys needed. Follow the damn law and the Constitution.
Yes!
They must be able to show that he violated New York law. Lying is not enough. Citizenship is a requirement and now that has been brought into question.
That mechanism does not exist, nor, in reasonable times, should it.
Our system of governance is simply not built for the kind of corruption, criminality and anti-democratic lying liars that Donnie Trump has ushered onto the forefront of American politics.
Jean's solution is exactly what should happen. Santos should never be allowed to run again.
"The New York State election commission should reconvene and decertify Santos' win, due to his fraud and disqualification to even be running for office, and certify Zimmerman as the winner."
Sounds very Trumpian to me.
There is no provision in the law for "decertifying" an already certified election.
That people here seem to want to do it anyway is quite depressing (not to mention dangerous).
This idea of "decertifying" elections is bad news, whether it comes from the Left or Right. No matter how ill-conceived their choice, the voters of NY's 3rd congressional district elected lying liar, George Santos. Now we're all going to have to live with the consequences.
What would be "Trumpian" is making up a reason to decertify an election that clearly doesn't exist, being told by the DOJ and everybody else that there was no fraud, and still insisting it be reversed. This is a different situation, obviously. This is a candidate whose unfitness slipped past somehow, but became obvious after the election was certified. The candidate himself admitted he lied, yet seems to think that isn't a big deal, he should still be able to serve even though many of the votes he obtained were likely based upon some of the things he told voters about himself that were not true and he admitted were not true. In a case like this, where a candidate whose votes were certified, but it was later found to be because of fraud, the commission should be able to withdraw previous certification in light of this evidence. Nothing Trumpian about removing an unfit fraudulent candidate. It's the opposite, because they would see being an unfit fraud as a plus.
Of course you're right, but it's a moot point. While the Trumpian way is based on lies, false claims and innuendos, there was no available mechanism for them to hang their hats on to decertify the results of any elections.
Imagine, Jean that such a mechanism existed. Next time the Trumpanzees might actually find someone they could pressure to decertify an election, regardless of whether or not there was an actual basis for the decertification.
Santos is a scumbag, no question about that, but who are any of us to throw out the choices the voters who elected him made? 74 million people voted for Donnie in 2020. There's a lot of misguided folks out there, all we can do is outnumber them every chance we get.
There is no provision in current law for "decertifying". You either have elections follow the law, or you don't. You are arguing for "don't". Which is a fantastically bad idea.
There should be some way to stop an unfit liar from taking office, who got votes because of his fraud. It appears certifying is only a numbers function where they just verify that so many votes were received for each candidate, so this probably would not be able to cure this injustice that way. I can see why you would have concern because people like Trump would use it to gyp rightfully elected people so looks like all that can be done is to file a recall petition and then do another election, as expensive and time consuming as that is.
There "should be" a lot of things, Jean, but life doesn't work that way. The voice of the people "should be" inviolate, but Republicans are doing everything in their power to make voting difficult for Dem-leaning voters and finding new ways to throw out election results.
We know George Santos is a lying scumbag, but you could find plenty of Repugs who would say the same thing about Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff and others. They said it about Hillary Clinton. Should we allow those voices, like the mob that stormed the Capitol - who certainly looked like the majority on camera - to decertify elected Democratic candidates? You have to be careful what you wish for, retribution can be a double-edged sword.
Here's something I wrote recently, maybe you'll like it: https://rj1340.substack.com/p/is-george-santos-really-such-a-bad
So essentially, he lied, benefitted as a result, got elected, and only admitted the truth because he got caught! And now thinks that he just has to say sorry, and keep all the benefits of his ill-gotten gains. What's the world coming to? Whatever happened to consequences of your actions? What message does this give to young people?
He's only "sorry" that he was caught. Sociopaths are not capable of feeling shame.
I think you are correct.
Me thinks 'Trumpkins' fits this definition - no shame (has no idea what that means - ?) - to a
"T".
He meets every single criteria for Sociopathic Personality Disorder. Google it. Serial killers also meet all criteria.
Agreed ! (in spades!) ! ! !
Sadly, right on!
Sadly, Americans have been getting the message that most of us do not matter. It’s not just the politicians. The business methods of many corporations teach us this too. You cannot trust anyone. And what happens to a country where trust is eroded and the people cannot believe anything? I have heard that is a prime time for tyrants to move in.
Just like trump moved in.
And he or some other republofascist could move in by 2024, which makes it all the more crucial that Republican lawbreakers receive justice during this administration, which was, after all, part of the reason Biden won the election, in anticipation that at last violators of the Constitution will face accountability.
Noel, we have been gradually moving in this direction for quite some time. I think it began with Ford pardoning Nixon for the crimes he committed with some BS about healing the country. That, of course was nonsense, but it taught the next generations of Republicans that cheating and lying can be pretty effective. Heck, Kissinger helped with coups around the world and did a bunch of stuff we don't even know about while he is considered "a great statesman." Reagan just had to say he didn't remember when confronted with crimes committed within his administration and it was hardly questioned. Clinton lied about a sexual connection that should have only been between himself and Hillary as well as Ms. Lewinsky, and he was impeached. Newt Gingrich who was having his own "relations" at the same time was not held accountable and only recently have people brought up his appalling hypocrisy. It seems that when one Republican gets away with something nefarious, they learn from it for the next time they want to lie and cheat to get something they want and don't deserve. Trump happened to be one of the most involved with the cheating and lying and to honor him, Republicans made him president, well, the electoral college did. Those white states just loved their lying cheating child-man Donnie. Now we have a man who ran for office in New York who thought lying was just the ticket to get elected, and he was right. I do fault the NY media too for not checking. They have all kinds of sources and could have gotten to the truth before the election. I am waiting to see what kind of cheating and lying will be next for Republican America because it is guaranteed to be coming and soon.
The failure of 5 supposedly great local newspapers to catch Santos in not one, but TWO elections is what I don't understand. New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, New York Daily News, and Long Island's own Newsday, did not take the most basic look at Santos as a candidate. The collective list of Pulitzer Prizes for these papers is astounding, and they should return every one. They're jumping over each other to get the latest dirt on Santos, of which there seems no limit, without apologizing to the public for their abject failures in the months before the primary and general elections.
How this happened at some of the largest and best resourced papers in the nation is a terrible statement about the state of journalism in general.
The findings of the January 6th committee show other atrocious lapses in reporting. Apparently no one at the same "fine" papers thought digging around online for information in plain sight was worth gathering to alert thus nation of the impending violence planned in view for all to see.
What else are these papers of record missing?
I wouldn't just blame the media. What about his Democratic opponent, Zimmerman? Even a cursory investigation into Santos's background would have revealed most of this information. Supposedly the Zimmerman campaign did dig up some of this stuff, but then the question is, why didn't they use it in the campaign? There is definitely something very fishy about the NY Democratic Party and its leadership. They basically handed 4 Democratic seats in the House to Republicans and this particular contest reveals exactly how hard some of them fought to keep their seats. Heads should roll over this.
Maria, I am thinking the problem with our newspapers is that they are having so much chaos in their ranks, they have started doing a lot of navel-gazing instead of looking outward to see what insanity Republicans and a few Democrats are involved in. Also, they are corporate entities that tend to report things that their corporate owners want reported. Checking out the veracity of a congressional candidate does not seem to meet the test for worthiness, that is until now when the elections are over and a lying cheating fool has been elected to our congress. The newspapers and other media should be ashamed, but of course, are not. They will have all kinds of excuses.
And another stolen seat goes to the Republican 'party'.
Laurie, ain't it the truth. Republicans constantly whine about and sue related to fraud, but when they are caught at it, they want nothing done about it. What hypocrites and frauds!
It's like it never even happened when it's them, Ruth!
Some suspicions about effective opposition research. Campaigns such as this, however, have professionals at delaying disclosure to reclassification of funds that only gets untangled after the election.
So convenient when they want to 'win'. It obviously should be required that some effective 'opposition research' be done and printed BEFORE the election. Otherwise, it is useless, unless they want to drive home that the public does not matter anyway! Who needs the truth?
Can you share with us what you know about the failure of the DCCC?
A long running concern with the DCCC's model has been one balancing local and national objectives. Certainly the national objective is attaining and retaining control of the House is one we all agree on. The way we get there has been a multi-year source of frustration.
House elections have a more local character than the Senate and the absence of trained resources at the local level is more of an issue. Whenever the Dems put efforts into developing local resources, e.g. Howard Dean's 50 state strategy, Obama donating the VAN system, some of Wellstone Actions (now re:Power) supports, the results have been promising. That said, resourcing of opposition research remains uneven.
The issue seems to have reared its ugly head in NY-CD3 this cycle. Opposition research on the right is well-funded and performed by dark money groups working in conjunction with the captured media. The Dems always talk about items such as opposition research and earned media but do not systematically plan, resource, and execute. That needs to change and the lazy reliance on social media as the main source should be understood for its limitations.
Although there cannot be campaign coordination, that does not prevent developing a network of vendors in this area. That work for 2024 should have already started.
DCCC has disgraced itself repeatedly by blacklisting progressives and favoring corporate DINOs like those supported by AIPAC and DMFI. I would not give a rusty dime to DCCC until the DINO leadership and tendencies are purged for good. They claim they’ve cleaned up their act, but it’s a lie. Ask Summer Lee (who won in spite of them), Jessica Cisneros, or Jamie McLeod-Skinner.
We no longer see the investigative journalism we used to get from these newspapers. The news media have abdicated their responsibility to the public by not fully airing the crimes & dangers of Republican politicians.
Jaime Ramirez ; maybe the owners are Republicans?
In many cases they are, & increasingly so. Most of the major media outlets have been taken over by large corporations or right-wing billionaires
It sure looks that way, Jaime. I wonder if there is a law against too much media consolidation that is not enforced, like anti trust laws. They aren't enforced either.
Not sure that he is even admitting the truth. He is sorry and can explain. But I’m not hearing him say, “I lied. I did not work at Goldman Sachs.”
Excellent point!
But is there anything illegal in what he did? Look at Trump, he practically got elected by lying and misrepresenting himself. That’s maybe not an exact 1 to 1 of what happened with Santos, but it doesn’t seem that being dishonest in politics has ever really carried any serious repercussions. Same thing happened with all the Supreme Court justices who lied about their commitment on Roe v Wade. It’s up to people to hold them accountable with votes, that’s the only chance for justice being served in the political realm.
Good point. If voters don’t care, why shouldn’t they lie?
Yes, but did Santos lie to the IRS about his unusual financial activities?
Maybe so, but again will that actually result in consequences. I hate to keep bringing up #45 but he has done far worse, it seems, and coasted through a whole 4 years with no real issues.
There haven't been any consequences for actions in the Republican Party for a long time. Doubt that they will start any time soon.
Agreed. Growing up impoverished is not an excuse for fabricating credentials. Many who are raised in poverty attend college and earn the right to put that on their resume. Lock him up.
It will not be long before he recrafts this to be a victim of the liberal media. And then from being a victim to being a hero. It's the new Repubican leadership mantra.
Corey, I forgot that step in the creation of lying and cheating as Republican go to's. Yes, Santos will be seen as a victim of the "Libs" and his media will whine for him that he just made a juvenile mistake. He will be the hero of Republican-world because he successfully got elected on lies and an "R" in front of his name. Nothing Santos did was a juvenile mistake. It was all carefully planned to tug at people's sympathies and it worked. For those pathetic voters, he is a hero. It is a really low bar.
NYT is hardly “liberal” media. They are as bourgeois as the day is long. Ditto WaPo now that it’s owned by Jeff Bezos.
Where the Repugs are concerned, the answer to, “Have you no shame?” Has been a resounding “NO!” For quite, some time. They have no shame; they have no moral values; they have no platform beyond obstruction; they have no intention to lead, serve or otherwise contribute to a working democracy. They are a CRIME SYNDICATE, fed by billionaire fascists who believe, in turn, they are above the law and no one should expect them to pay taxes.
Dawna, one has to care about something important to have a shame reflex. When an entire party stands for nothing beyond money and power, it is hard to even connect with them. A whole lot of members of Congress voted to refuse to certify an election that Biden had clearly won. They knew it and people around them knew they knew. Liars at every level in the party. It does not seem to matter where in the country or at what level. And, they don't ever want to be held accountable for any of the things they do, "above the law." They have put a whole lot of judges and justices in place to help them get away with pretty much anything. Maybe Democrats need to start speaking more forcefully about lying and cheating not being what our founders had in mind and that both are not acceptable in Christianity. The problem, a whole lot of people in this country are totally OK with Republican bad behavior and also want nothing done to stop it. Ugh!
It’s not acceptable in Christianity, Judaism, or any other religion.
Carol, you are right about cheating and lying not being acceptable in any religion, but alas, Republicans care nothing for any religion but the brand of Christianity they believe lets them do whatever they want to do if they claim god told them to do it. None of it has to make any sense because lately Republicans think as little as possible about their candidates and what they stand for and are doing in office. They only want to support the "R" and make those "R's" fit into a warped understanding of Christianity. It really is sick!
I was replying to the person who wrote that this was not acceptable in Christianity. I wanted to broaden it a bit, since not everybody’s Christian.
Yes. You might enjoy reading “The Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Kleine. The crime Syndicate aka the RNC has deployed weaponized propaganda through outlets like Murdoch’s “Fox Entertainment” or the Mercer’s Meta/Cambridge Analytica, famous for targeting Facebook users. The Billionaire Gang was organized under Charles Koch—these are the fascists pulling puppet strings, funneling money to the RNC under the cynical euphemism,“Citizens United.” It’s going to take a grassroots movement facing overwhelming resources to save this democracy from these fascists. I don’t hold out much hope.
There is a rumor that Meta and Koch will merge to form KochZucker, Inc.
Even confirmed judges that the American Bar Association said we're unqualified,because the fix was in.
Yes,Dawna you are spot on. And as I read on and on my blood begins to boil. That vile little liar thinks that he should be allowed to go to Congress.
More important is that decent people can’t even keep up with the pages and pages and pages of deceit these people keep sending to press. They think no one will notice, or have time to care about who , we the American public , allows to work for us.
If the people of the 3 rd. District of New York don’t recall him we certainly have lowered the bar for decency. There is none? We should not impose that attitude of carelessness on the rest of the country.
Where are the grown up leaders ?
And just where does one go to be heard?
I do not want that slimy, hollow, liar in my Congress. Or any of the insurrection enablers either.
The sad part ( oh you mean another ?)is that we are allowing mental degenerates to lower the bar on our entire system. That my friends just works because really good citizens start to give up. I would have been fired from any job if I had lied about anything. Are we truly beyond redemption?
My heart sobs for us.
Cry 😢 the beloved country,
Cry the beloved land;
for we are lost out here in the stars..."
😨🌎🌏🌍🙏🏼
Congrats. You just described most of the DC Establishment, both Republicans and Democrats.
Huh? Is that your argument? “They are all doing it” so it makes it right? Over generalization is is a false argument .
The voters Did Not elect George Santos. They voted for someone who does not exist. There needs to be a major background check on this man. The only qualifications to be a House Representative are 25+ in age and a U.S. citizen for a minimum of 7 years. Was he actually born in New York? When is his real birthdate? Is he actually a U.S. citizen and is George Santos really his name? I think identity theft is possible.
You don't have to be born in the US for any office except President, but you must be a Naturalized or Native Citizen to run for any office. So being born in Brazil does not prevent Santos from office, not attaining US citizenship does. (and that is easy to determine - there are records of every naturalized citizen in the US)
I don’t think any background check was done during the campaign. Santos claimed he was born in New York but was he really? Sure, someone born in another country can become a U.S. citizen but they have to live in this country for 7 years to be eligible to work as a House Representative. I want to know what else he lied about. I’m angry and sad. Being a politician used to be an honorable profession
It's not just sad it is disgusting. What the first legislators of this Democratic Republic strove for was honor. To create a Nation that represented all (well, if they were upper class white men) men equally with no reference to wealth or position. Maybe their mistake was not recognizing the role of the "other gender", working people, regardless of skin color or religion. But given the culture of the times in all parts of the then civilized world I think they legislated as best they could. Women had long ago given up their power. I was surprised when looking up the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States how few names I recognized. Marshall was the first I recognized, yet he was the 4th Chief Justice. I guess honor wasn't as wide spread as I have always believed
Fay, the interesting thought is that even his name and identity may be a lie and that he has a stolen identity. There truly needs to be some kind of serious consequences for what Santos (or whoever he is) has done. I doubt it will happen, but it should.
Christine, I hadn't thought past the lies the media has been reporting. I didn't consider that everything about Santos could be a lie, stolen identity as you suggest. The state of NY needs to call for a new election. I think he should be unable to run since not enough is known about him and who he really is.
We also let Jack Martins get reelected!! His family name is originally Martinez before he "Anglicized" it for Republicans.
Ted Cruz basically did the same thing. His real name is Rafael Edward Cruz
Raffish Raffi! A politician who lies about his own name!
Yeah, let’s see his birth certificate. And his laptop!
I live in his district!!! Yuck!
"George Santos" was not elected. The avatar presented in his resume was elected.
Very interested in what your procedures for eradicating this idiot -- or is he just an "id" -- Nancy. How does New York handle this and what is the local perspective.
Hi Randy,
I've received many comments on my post but can only see yours. Perhaps because I'm a free member rather than paid so I see only the first post. To your question, the newly drawn NY Congressional District 3 spans 2 counties (Nassau and Queens) and the DAs of both counties have launched an investigation. In addition, the Federal court of the Eastern District of NY has launched a federal investigation. The GOP on Long Island has said they will not support Santos in 2024?!? (Oh, but they support him now!) There was a demonstration at the Nassau County courthouse that drew over 200 people who called for him to step down.
BTW, Santos also campaigned as a moderate, and he anything but.
I feel so disenchanted by so many politicians, mostly GOPpers. It seems all their leadership cares about is having a person in office with an (R) next to their name. As if that insures how they will vote. Whatever happened to independent thinking and discernment, and oh yeah, integrity!! Are our legislators clones that pop out of a cookie cutter with a letter next to their name that tells them how they must vote?
Thank you, Nancy for your nice and thorough description of what's happening up there. So many of these people have lost all sense of Constitutional integrity. Very scary. Stay safe. Happy New Year.
The House should refuse to seat Santos - or at least censure him.
Republicans won’t care that he is a liar and they have a majority even though it’s a very slim one.
He promised to support Kevin McCarthy for speaker, and that's all that matters to McCarthy.
The new House GOP leadership will waste no time in investigating Hunter Biden and attempting to impeach President Biden. But Santos will be seated with no questions? The double standard is clear. Citizens have been sent to jail for voter fraud. Why is falsifying your election application not subject to criminal prosecution?
Their aim is not to prove anything. It will be to raise doubt in the public mind about Biden's character, just as it was the tobacco industry's goal to raise doubt about the dangers of cigarette smoking,and the petroleum industry doubt about global warming.they have it down to a fine art,honed over several decades.they'll bring in their bogus Witnesses from different front groups with Noble sounding names.
Sociopath George Santos epitomizes what it has meant to be a republican politician in the last 40 years, which is basically political jabberwocky taken to a society-wrecking level.
The GOP is no longer a legitimate political party, just an association of feckless grifters elected not to responsibly govern but to destroy government.
When will the country have enough of this kind of blatant gaslighting?? He should be disqualified for being elected on a fraudulent prospectus. If you did that for an IPO you'd be prosecuted.
The Republican Party is at fault for not vetting Santos. He needs to go. Now.
And Republicans should not have ever put Trump on the ballot.
But we should be reluctant to dismiss any otherwise good candidate just because he/she has preemptively DISCLOSED prior run-ins with the law. Good people have rap sheets too - - - Dr. Martin Luther King had quite a rap sheet. If we were to dismiss any a candidate because they hav been charged, then an unscrupulous opponent already in office could disqualify a potential rival simply by framing that rival on a trumped-up assertion or conviction. This is an old tactic for despots - I think Putin uses it.
We live in a flawed world.
Bob, we do live in a flawed world, but there should be a line related to behavior beyond which one should not pass. Having a rap sheet is not a disqualifier unless it involves murder, armed robbery, child abuse, and a few other serious crimes. Taking candy from a store is not at that level. Lying about one's persona in its particulars is pretty serious, whether there is a rap sheet or not. Who knows what/who Santos is and where his loyalties lie. Of what value would an oath be to someone who lied every day during his campaign? We saw how much it mattered to Trump who lied more than 30,000 times in public while in office and a whole lot since than and has caused a lot of trouble not keeping his oath, even helping to plan and cheerlead an insurrection.
If anything, I am ashamed that after all these years, my rap sheet isn’t longer.
Yes, if it contains the kinds of things MLK was arrested for, it would be something to be proud of.
Mr. Reich, I'm very glad that you sent us this second commentary today! George Santos MUST be kept out of Congress! The thought of him getting an office, and staff, and all the benefits that congressmen get makes me furious! I swear, this little bastard kept me awake last night! And I echo another comment here that says, What does his behavior say to our young people? that lying will get you anywhere you want to go with impunity?
We cannot let up until this little weasel is prohibited from being sworn in as a legitimate congressman! I will call my state's congressional legislators, and I urge everyone to also do so! Another blogger today suggested that Santos may have also lied about being American-born. He may have been born in Brazil, and not even an American citizen. Where did he get the $700,000 for his campaign? Which millionaires paid his way? There is SO much more to this story, and please, please, keep up the pressure, folks!!!!!
To add insult to injury, his name in Spanish, is "saints!" He's Jorge DIABLO!
Cut the Bull PAC donated.and Jason Smith our congressmen in the Missouri 8th District who faces no serious challenge whatsoever also contributed.
https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?committee_id=C00721365&committee_id=C00762237&committee_id=C00775726&two_year_transaction_period=2022&line_number=F3-11C&data_type=processed
Hey, Steve and Jan! I missed this! I thought you were telling ME to "cut the bull!" which is kinda funny now that I know what you meant. I didn't know there was such a website, which I just looked and WOW that is so amazing that there are records of who gives what to wannabe politicians! Thanks for illuminating this situation and I hope LOTS of people clicked that link as I just did 24 hours later!
I gave the federal election commission site, but for state elections you’ll have your own site. For example Missouri it’s MEC Missouri election skews me Missouri ethics something
Hey, what is promising is that so many of us folks are "up in arms" that the commercial news media is encouraging ACTION to keep this guy out of congress. What pissed me off so much was to hear him laughing, "Yeah, I lied, no what?" We haven't seen the end of this--lots of us will keep it up until he gives up in defeat!!! (I don't get expanded TV news, but i can only imagine what Rachael Maddow is saying about this!)
Haha! As his answers clearly demonstrate, he has NO shame whatsoever! But, then again, that's a requirement for being a Republican these days. Glad Tulsi asked the question, but WTF? Subbing for Tucker Carlson, really? That's pretty shameful in itself, Tulsi... And to equate Elizabeth Warren's silly little transgression with what Santos is doing is absurd beyond belief.
Sorry this is so long, but George Santos is now my Congressman and I am thoroughly disgusted. I live in a New York district that has been Democratic for years, but was recently gerrymandered. In addition to lying about his education and work history, George Santos didn't live where he was registered to vote, claimed to run a nonexistent animal rescue, and had 2 evictions in the past 7 years. Apparently he was charged with check fraud in Brazil and served as a director of an investment group accused by the SEC of running a Ponzi scheme. He is only 34 years old and has no political experience.
We get dozens of glossy ads from people running for office, but they contain little actual information about the candidates. I always research what schools they attended, what kinds of jobs they held, etc. - but only do so for Democrats.
Dishonest candidates seem to be common in today's Republican Party. Outright deception should disqualify people like George Santos from serving in Congress. Even security guards are fingerprinted and have background checks. Why aren't background checks required for all political candidates? I heard that a political recall is possible, so maybe we can fight this - but it's doubtful. It's just another nail in the coffin of Democracy!
Thank Andrew Cuomo who disliked progressive Dems so much he appointed a "moderate" top state court to thwart the liberal legislature. That court appointed the Pittsburgh grad student who gerrymandered your district, Linki, and chopped up mine. Now Hochul, the gubernatorial successor Cuomo designated, has nominated a new top judge as "moderate" as the Cuomo jurist he'd succeed. The Cuomo-Hochul Dem party head who failed to oppo-research Santos in TWO elections has a lock on his job, the state GOP hoping to turn New York purple ain't just whistling "Dixie," and NY's own Randy Andy hopes for a comeback.
You make some good points. Thanks to gerrymandering, this year quite a few local Democratic politicians were removed from districts they served for years to new districts where they weren't known. Our former mayor Bloomberg and our current Mayor, Eric Adams (who came out of nowhere and reportedly didn't even live in New York) were Republicans not long before running as Democrats. How is it possible that Democrats neglected to check out George Santos? The Democratic party can't possibly be that incompetent.
Linki —Andrew Cuomo *was* the NY Democratic party most of his life, starting in his father's administration. He appointed Jay Jacobs party chair, so when Andy tried his first comeback and Jacobs sided with Hochul, Jacobs cemented a pedestal for himself in the Hochul structure. It was Jacobs who should have directed scrutiny of Santos but didn't. Other big party problems abound, but Zeldin and the nyPost were able to run away with the crime issue while the party didn't do its job. Where crime rates are lowest was where GOP votes were highest and high crime rates meant high Dem votes. Yes, Adams kept a fictitious Bed-Stuy address while living in and running for NYC mayor from Jersey. But he's a better friend to NYC property owners than any of his Dem opponents were. Adams spent the big freeze in the Caribbean. Although redistricting tried to forcefeed my district a new (well-credentialed) carpetbagger, our old rep Jerry Nadler kept a seat, we elected one of our own, and well-credentialed carpetbagger has returned home. I'd say Jacobs has to go, except why should we expect Hochul to appoint somebody better? NY politics used to be exemplary.
Linki: "The Democratic party can't possibly be that incompetent." Did you really just write that? You must not have had your morning cuppa java yet! Have one on me. Have two. 🙀☕☕
Plus:
How Did George Santos Win with a Fictitious Resume? —Taegan Goddard 28 December 2022
Steve Israel: “The answer is a combination of Democratic complacency, Republican extremism, and media decline in a House district that I know intimately.”
https://politicalwire.com/2022/12/28/how-did-george-santos-win-with-a-fictitious-resume/
The saddest thing about the Santos lying issue is that he is only doing what so many others have done. He said he will not resign and will do whatever it takes to keep his new position. That does not say much for Santos or the people and media who supposedly followed him throughout the campaign and didn't learn of his massive lying until the election was over. Clearly Santos has no moral compass, just like so many other Republicans. Lying and cheating and fraud in general are their hallmarks now and I do not see it getting better any time soon since it works so well for them.
Makes Al Franken look saintly. Bring Al back if Santos doesn’t resign. “Make Lying Wrong Again”