Enough is enough, George Santos

A busload of 50 constituents representing NY-03 are on their way to Washington DC to confront Speaker Kevin McCarthy and demand that he take action to remove George Santos from office. Every day Santos remains in Congress is an insult to the more than 700,000 residents of NY-03. It leaves us without meaningful representation in Congress – and we are angry.

We are making sure McCarthy hears us as it seems our voices have not travelled from Long Island, despite the 24/7 coverage by local, national, and international press.

Santos is a grifter and now he is grifting off the US taxpayer. So long as he has a seat in Congress, he receives a salary of 174,000 a year and benefits. He made a fool of our district, he made a fool of the Republican party, and now he is making a fool of the US taxpayers. Allowing an individual with this track record to remain in Congress defies common sense. The US Constitution anticipated a George Santos and provided an escape hatch in such a scenario —McCarthy can call for a vote and when two thirds vote in favor of his expulsion, Santos is out. So why hasn’t McCarthy called for one?

What is particularly galling is that GOP Leadership knew of Santos’s lies a full year before the election and still endorsed him. After a vulnerability study revealed that he had lied about almost every aspect of his life, the Republican party still helped him get elected, by providing funding and staffing his office when his original campaign staff resigned en mass after his fantastical life was revealed. They had time to replace him and chose not to. McCarthy now can rectify this wrong, so his obstinance is infuriating.

There is no shortage of evidence of Santos’s wrongdoings, lies and frauds. He is being investigated by local, state, and federal justice agencies. But what also must not be overlooked is the purposefulness of his behavior. Our district is largely composed of well-educated, upper middle-class people who value education and white-collar professionals. Santos did not claim to attend community college or to be a pilot, he claimed to have attended Baruch college and to work for financial firms. This community lost many firefighters in 9/11 and so he lied about his mother’s connection to that tragic event. The district has many Jewish residents, so he claimed to be Jewish and that he had a heritage connected to the Holocaust. None of these statements are true. Pouring salt into the wound, he was permitted to address congress on Holocaust Remembrance Day. And he invited a firefighter from 9/11 as his guest to the State of the Union.

And who can resist a pet charity? When those puppy eyes look at you, you reach into your pocket. George Santos used that for his personal financial benefit. No less than five pet charities have accused Santos of absconding with the proceeds from these fundraisers. Who knows what will be uncovered tomorrow.

Concerned Citizens of NY-03 refuse to be ignored. As soon as we knew of Santos’s falsehoods, we assumed McCarthy would get rid of him much like what was done to other Congress people who demeaned the office. We should not have had to take off from our jobs to travel to Washington to get McCarthy to do his job as Speaker. What sort of leadership is he demonstrating?

McCarthy’s ongoing support of Santos is a disgrace. It is antithetical to our history, Constitution, legal system, and sense of ethics. The impact extends well beyond one congressional district; the controversy over his continued presence transcends politics. This embodies the heart and soul of the integrity of our system of government. His ouster cannot wait another day.

Susan D. Wagner is an advisor to Concerned Citizens of NY-03 and former Deputy Comptroller of Nassau County.