Everyone seems to agree: newly-minted U.S. Rep. George Santos (R‑NY) — if that’s even his real name — is a cheat and a scammer who doesn’t belong in Congress.
Except, of course, Congress is exactly where you’d expect to find such a person!
Especially when voters don’t discover the truth about said candidate until it is too late.
“The constituents in NY‑3 elected Representative Santos in part due to his biographical exaggerations and apparent deceptions,” complains Congressman Brandon Williams (R‑NY).
Still, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R‑Calif.) isn’t comfortable pushing to oust the fraudster — which would require a two-thirds vote of the House of Representatives — without the Ethics Committee first finding sufficient official wrongdoing. Even given the fantastical pre-election fibbing, the Speaker points out that “the voters have elected George Santos” and “they have a voice in this process.”
Only that’s the problem. Voters don’t have a voice.
“There is no way for constituents to recall a member of Congress,” informs The Washington Examiner, “though they can be expelled in the House by a two-thirds vote. This action has only been taken five times in history, only against members convicted of crimes and only twice for crimes other than the treason of joining the Confederacy during the Civil War.”
Speaker McCarthy doesn’t speak for the voters in NY‑3. Neither can two-thirds (or even ninety-nine percent) of Congress.
But Congress can and should let voters speak for themselves.
And not just this once with Serial Liar Santos. Let voters conduct the official ouster whenever those citizens realize they’ve been had, whenever they determine that they have a turkey representing them.
Every member of Congress — Republican, Democrat or independent — should stop virtue-signaling with press statement pronouncements to the effect that Congressman Santos “should” resign.
Instead, legislate for the people; give us the power of recall.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
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4 replies on “O, to Oust!”
The person they voted for is not the person who took office. The latter was an impersonator of the same name.
Not much different than when they elect a Republican who votes Democrat instead of republican.
SANTOS is a fraud and needs to go, but first how about Vietnam veteran US Senator Richard Blumenthal and Native American US Senator Elizabeth Warren. And lets not forget the biggest fibber in public life, our President Joe Biden. Surely Santos cannot in 50 years hope to do the damage to America Biden has done in .
It is a great idea and we all know it won’t happen at the hands of congress. We need to make it happen with a convention of sates.
McCarthy and the republicans are gutless! If ever someone should be expelled from congress, this is the person. Democrats will 100% agree. But the republicans have no honor.