Following the news of the indictment of former President Donald Trump, the scandal-plagued New York congressman George Santos was hawked down by reporters while leaving the courthouse hosting the former president’s arraignment. Asked by a reporter if Santos would be returning to the courthouse, the congressman responded with “no”, citing how reporters make his public life “unbearable.”
Santos’ presence at the courthouse protests is an exemplary display of political irony. While the president’s indictment highlights an arguable corruption of the judicial system via the weaponization and politicization of the rule of law, the actions and behavior of George Santos exacerbate one of the American political systems’ most longstanding and persistent vices.
This November, Republicans, while not quite claiming their desired runaway majority, were still able to forge a path to regain control of the House of Representatives. Through capitalizing on an advantageous electoral environment cultivated by a vulnerable Democratic party, Republicans were able to flip a handful of key toss-up House races in their favor.
One of the primary targets for the 2022 cycle was New York’s 3rd Congressional District, which hosted a historical faceoff between two openly gay candidates with Democrat Rob Zimmerman and Republican George Santos. While Santos was defeated handily in the 2020 cycle, the newly redrawn boundaries of the vacated district (incumbent Tom Suozzi ran for governor) favored Republicans, which propelled Santos into a near double-digit victory in a previous Democratic stronghold.
However, the seemingly storybook rise of the son of persecution-fleeing Jewish immigrants turned successful businessman turned United States Representative was quickly called into question. Shortly following Santos’s election victory, reports began to surface of concerns that the newly elected representative had embellished major pieces of both his personal and professional life. Whether it was the fabrication of his educational background, his false claims of working for Goldman Sachs or even the story of his own ancestry, it was clear that Santos campaigned with significant deception and dishonesty.
Congressman Santos has been the recipient of significant amounts of backlash from the national media (including Fox News), New York GOP leaders, and even fellow House Republicans. While there is a consensus of bipartisan criticism being directed at Santos, the congressman, while now admitting to his deception, still remains a member of the House and has indicated no intention of resigning.
This blatant deflection of accountability and integrity highlights one of the American political system’s fatal flaws; the American people do not trust politicians, and those who are a part of the system do little to remedy and rectify the disconnect present between the public and the institutions that serve them.
Congressman Santos is not the first to embellish a resume while on the campaign trail. Senator Richard Blumenthal exaggerated his military record while serving during the Vietnam War. Senator Elizabeth Warren lied about her personal background, falsely claiming to have Native American ancestry.
The fatal flaw at hand is not just the sheer dishonesty among those in Washington but rather the evolution of the behavior being normalized into the expectations of the American people.
Congress has long suffered from low approval ratings. This stigma of deception and ineffectiveness that is established ultimately prevents democracy from thriving.
If the American people firmly hold the belief that Congress is an ineffective body of government, what is the incentive to show up to vote for those vying to be in it? If the American people continually see stories similar to Santos of lying your way to Washington, what is the incentive to possess any form of trust that those in Congress are faithfully representing the interests of those that voted for them?
American democracy in its purest form is the people electing their peers to represent and advocate for their interests. However, this very democratic tenet is placed in jeopardy when the American people ultimately become numb to the dishonesty and malfeasance that can often plague Washington.
Congressman Santos is no pioneer when it comes to embellishing personal details to gain a competitive edge during an election cycle. It can also be assured that he will not be the last to administer such practices when seeking a seat in the nation’s capital.
However, if those in Washington are frustrated at the lack of faith that the American people put into their institutions, the George Santos scandal highlights that they need to look no further than the nearest mirror for the source.
Jimmy Murphy
Jimmy Murphy attends the Virginia Military Institute, pursuing a degree in International Studies and Political Science along with being a member of the VMI Football Team. Jimmy's political experience includes being a Hill intern, state party intern and a campaign staffer. Jimmy aspires to attend law school and then serve in the military as a JAG officer.
The views expressed in this article are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Lone Conservative staff.
@_jimmymurphy
@_jimmymurphy