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George Santos lied about his background, his career, his destiny. But he doesn’t want to resign.
Wherever George Santos goes these days, he’s being hunted. From a pack of journalists who only want to know one thing: is the latest revelation true? And will he resign now? The hunted usually says nothing about it. Or: No, he will not resign.
Sometimes he also denies a new revelation. Like the one that he is said to have performed as a drag queen in Brazil in the past. Which in itself wouldn’t be a problem if politicians Santos and parts of his Republican party didn’t make a mood against drag queens. The fact that pictures and videos surfaced shortly after his denial – albeit difficult to verify – does nothing to strengthen Santos’ credibility.
lies over lies
His path is paved with lies. He lied so much that House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries said, “I don’t think George Santos is qualified to serve in the United States House of Representatives.”
Legend:
A typical picture currently in Washington DC: Santos surrounded by journalists.
Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz
Santos said he was descended from Holocaust survivors. He said he was Jewish. He said his mother was at the World Trade Center during the terrorist attack on New York. None of that was true. Santos lied about his employers, his schools, his athletic achievements. Now the question is how he made it into the House of Representatives.
Some Republican party colleagues have called on Santos to resign. However, most don’t seem to have a problem with it. Kevin McCarthy, who was only elected after 15 rounds of voting as Chairman of the House of Representatives, recently rewarded Santos with two commission seats. Annoyed, McCarthy fended off questions from the CNN television network as to whether he was only sticking to Santos so as not to endanger his own wafer-thin majority.
The illusion chosen
However, some voters in New York’s electoral district 3 are just as annoyed. “He looked at society here and said to himself: there are so and so many Jews here, so he says he’s a Jew. Then he saw: So and so many gays live here, so he emphasizes that he is gay. »
Legend:
Santos during the ballot for new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein
Together with other comrades-in-arms, Sally Marzouk founded the group “Concerned Citizens of Electoral District 3”. Most are Democrats, but not only.
Susan Naftol is sitting next to Marzouk and is terribly angry: “Everyone here has or knows someone who died or was affected by 9/11. So he brought that up. He presented a very carefully chosen picture of himself and his life, and people chose that illusion.”
Office without a computer
Now this “illusion” is sitting in Washington and is supposed to help shape American politics. An impossible idea for Naftol and Marzouk: “He has no credibility whatsoever. He will therefore not be able to secure the funds for our district that we need.”
The two women make their way to Santos’ office, as all US legislators do in their constituency, to communicate with their constituents. The name of Santos’ predecessor is still emblazoned above the entrance. The employee who speaks to the visitors through the door does not know if and when Santos plans to be present. Neither computers nor other furnishings can be seen in the office. “It surpasses everything,” says Marzouk.