In the past decade, American politics have been more polarized than ever, with a variety of factors stressing some, and shocking many. Recently, George Santos, New York representative, has been exiled from the House of Representatives.
Not only has Santos lost his seat in the House of Representatives, but he is also being charged with Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, False Statements, Falsification of Records, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Credit Card Fraud.
Before his lies were revealed to Congress, Santos was believed to be a Baruch University and NYU graduate. His resume even stated that he was in the top one percent of his graduating class at Baruch.
The falsification of his education was just one of many lies he has told to his voters and to Congress. From stealing money to lying about his heritage, nearly everything Santos has told the public has been false.
In January of 2023, when Santos was officially sworn into office, his concerning actions from the past were already apparent to the country. The first of these concerning actions took place on January 6th, 2021. As many may recall, this was the day of the rally, which soon turned into an attack, at the U.S. Capitol.
This day, Santos could be seen speaking to the mob of people, claiming that his recently lost election in 2020 was stolen from him.
Next, his first charges of credit card fraud can be seen during his second election for New York state representative in 2022. During his campaign, Santos was allegedly using donations from his Congressional investors at luxury brands and explicit websites. This can be proven by the multiple transactions from his investors to his LLC bank accounts. Then, money from his LLC was transferred to his personal account.
Furthermore, Santos not only stole money from his donors and constituents, but from the government as well.
Department of Justice touches on his applying for unemployment benefits in 2020, when the program was expanded in the pandemic: “‘At the height of the pandemic in 2020, George Santos allegedly applied for and received unemployment benefits while he was employed and running for Congress,’ stated District Attorney Donnelly”.
Finally, one of the more shocking lies that Santos has told is about his heritage. In many interviews, he has stated that his maternal grandparents are Jewish and that they had fled during the holocaust. Once confronted with his recently proven lie, Santos states in a press conference, “I never claimed to be Jewish… I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was ‘Jew-ish.’”
Not only is the press shocked about this, but so are local voters and American citizens, who had believed all elected officials were trustworthy.
Jeff Meisner, an active, educated voter in the Pentucket community states, “The American voter needs to be a little more educated about their candidates before they cast their votes. Now, the Republican party is damaged by his lies and he has violated the trust that his voters had in him.”
As his lies and offenses are accumulating, it is now apparent that voters, now more than ever, should be educated on not only their candidates’ intentions but their pasts as well.
As for George Santos, his crimes are punishable by up to twenty-two years in federal prison, but he continues to plead not guilty at his ongoing trial. However, it is believed that, if he must, he will arrange a plea deal.
