Congressional LGBTQ Caucus Has No Room For George Santos

I asked the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus if they planned to admit the Brazilian who calls himself George Santos and claims to be gay, into the caucus. The answer wasn’t just no. The caucus formally called on him to resign from Congress. The caucus chair, David Cicilline (D-RI) and 9 co-chairs— Mark Pocan (D-WI), Mark Takano (D-CA), Angie Craig (D-MN), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Becca Balint (D-VT), Robert Garcia (D-CA) and Eric Sorensen (D-IL)—issued a joint statement:

When Representative-Elect Santos was first elected, we were hoping to find common ground that would allow us to work together to advance LGBTQ+ equality, despite our many differences. However, integrity and honesty are central to being a Member of the House of Representatives and to properly represent your community— both one’s district and the LGBTQ+ community. Mr. Santos has demonstrated that he lacks these values. We are particularly disturbed by the reports that Mr. Santos lied about his religious background— and potentially his family’s connection to the Holocaust. In addition, as leaders of the Equality Caucus, we are especially appalled that Mr. Santos would lie about losing four employees in the Pulse nightclub massacre. The Pulse nightclub massacre was the deadliest U.S. hate crime committed against our community in recent memory, and a person who misrepresents their connection to that tragedy for political sympathy does not deserve to be a Member of Congress. Mr. Santos should step down immediately. The LGBTQ+ community and the people of New York’s Third Congressional District deserve better.

Ted Lieu is a Vice Chair of the LGBTQ Caucus— as well as Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus— and today he told me that “The fact that George Santos is sitting in the House chamber voting for Speaker is a stain on this great institution. He has admitted to telling blatant and incredulous lies in order to get elected. He should resign in shame and if he doesn't the House should hold a vote to expel him.”

A lot of Republicans agree with Lieu but don’t say so out loud. Yesterday, Fox reported that Santos got the cold shoulder from his GOP colleagues on the House floor and that no one wanted to sit near him or talk to him, let alone be photographed with him. And now he seems to be putting together a team of far right neo-fascist extremists right from the Steve Bannon team.

“Duped donors,” noted Gregory Korte for Bloomberg News this morning. “Embarrassed voters. Angry neighbors. Such was the mood at delis, barbershops and train platforms across Long Island as Republican George Santos went to Washington to represent a gilded enclave of New York still baffled by the man they voted in.” The NY Times came right to the point in this morning’s headline: The Lying Congressman. “We’ve become accustomed in American politics to a certain level of truth stretching. Politicians contort facts to justify their plans. Some polish the rough edges of their résumés or inflate military credentials, hoping no one notices. Notoriously, Donald Trump’s falsehood-filled presidency ended with a massive lie about the 2020 election. But even by the standards of this era of self-aggrandizement and alternative facts, it is hard to find a case quite like that of George Santos, the newly elected Republican congressman from Long Island… Santos did not seem to so much embellish his biography as make it up: degrees, tragedy, religious faith, job credentials, even a charity.”

PolitiFact: “To be this brazen is unlike anything we’ve seen in recent memory.”

The most vexing question, though, may be what happens to Santos now. He has refused to step down, and his own party has shown little appetite to force him out, particularly amid an ongoing House leadership fight. His activities may yet lead to criminal charges. But short of prosecution, the case is shaping up to be a test of voters’ tolerance for falsehoods in the post-Trump political environment. Sanders called it “a huge moment for truth and lies in politics.”

…This week, he showed up in Washington as if he were any other House freshman eager to get to work. As infighting over who should be speaker consumed Republicans on the House floor, Santos provided a spectacle of his own. For hours, he sat conspicuously alone, looking like a miscast movie extra, before gravitating toward the group of rebel conservatives trying to block Kevin McCarthy’s ascent to the speakership (though he didn’t vote with them). Yesterday, he hid out for part of the day in a cloakroom in the House chamber.

Santos’ support for McCarthy may actually be one of the factors insulating him from Republican criticism. Santos’s lies could tarnish the party over time, and under other circumstances, G.O.P. leaders might move to marginalize or call a House vote to expel him. But with only a narrow House majority, McCarthy cannot afford to lose Santos’s vote by alienating him or prompting him to resign. The leader has stayed silent.

Santos will likely have a difficult time with his new colleagues. Legislative deal-making is often built on trust, and he could effectively be iced out of committee work and floor debates. Powerful Republicans have already said they won’t support his re-election in 2024.

For now, Santos’ most pressing threat may be legal. Federal and local prosecutors in New York have opened investigations into whether Santos violated any laws during his campaign. And, in Brazil, prosecutors said they planned to revive fraud charges connected to the stolen checkbook.

And then there’s the little matter of the sleazeball’s illegal campaign funding. This afternoon, CNN reported that the FEC has opened an investigation into where Santos got so much money for his campaign. For one thing, a Putin-related Russian oligarch, Viktor Vekselberg, used straw donors to put gigantic amounts of money— probably close to a million dollars— into Santos’ campaign. In return, Santos parrots Russian talking points about their war against Ukraine. Santos is considered a serious security risk by American security services and the Pentagon.

Could this be real? It purports to be Santos casting his vote for McCarthy while throwing a symbol of white nationalism. I lived in that district. This isn't the kind of thing even Republicans want to see from their elected officials.