Representative George Santos – if that really is his name – is a duly elected and now seated member of the House of Representatives. There really was no cause for keeping him out of the House, because liars are seated all the time.

Let’s not pretend that Democrats have a leg to stand on here. From Bill “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” Clinton, to Senator “Da Nang” Dick Blumenthal, to Joe Biden, whose lies and plagiarism are legendary, someone who lied or embellished or diminished their résumé before, during, or after being in elected office is nothing new under the sun.

However, George Santos is getting a ton of attention because it wasn’t just one lie. It wasn’t just one exaggeration. It wasn’t just one different name that he went by. It’s how an entire biography was apparently created out of whole cloth, and everyone bought it, until people started actually asking questions and verifying details. Yeah, the Republicans on the whole are not happy about having Santos in their ranks at the moment.

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), a former NRCC chair, said that “I don’t know what he told” the campaign arm, but “if he deceived them, he deceived our conference. … You always have to be sensitive to who are going to be your candidates.”

Two Republicans close to Santos’ team say they, too, were completely in the dark about his fabrications, recalling that he often mentioned stories unprompted that later proved inaccurate, such as his claims to have played volleyball for Baruch College.”

“This was not an inside job. We were all duped here,” said one of the Republicans close to Santos’ team, before referring to a famed con woman who inspired a Netflix TV series: “We got Anna Delvey’d.”

Here’s the thing, though – the Democrats LOST TO THIS GUY. In fact, Santos ran for this House seat in 2020 and NONE of his lies ever came to light at that point, either. Were the Democrats just so obtuse and arrogant, believing they would never lose, that they did absolutely ZERO research into Santos? For all that the media is trying to blame Santos and his lies on all Republicans, the New York Democrats LOST TO HIM IN A GENERAL ELECTION. How nice of the media to ignore the egg on the Democrats’ face.

And yes, the media is indeed still shocked, SHOCKED, that George Santos is still in Congress despite his lies. Why, the Washington Post even charted how he stealth-edited his own biography as new details came to light!

George Santos’s campaign site was edited to add or change details in his biography. Once his fabrications came to light, many details were removed altogether. https://t.co/GB60LeA4IA

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 27, 2023

Does anyone at the Washington Post own a mirror? Just curious.

What Santos did isn't any different than how The Washington Post makes corrections. https://t.co/xu1E2fF6hF

— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) January 27, 2023

However, it is obvious that George Santos is destined to be a single-term congressman. Right now, it seems that he is keeping a pretty low profile, aside from the media continuing to make him the story. Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, and Santos, who once claimed to be Jewish (before he changed it to “Jew-ish”), gave a brief and inoffensive statement on the House floor to mark the day.

If Santos can keep a low profile without making waves, then he will likely survive the next two years in the House, unless he is forced to give up his seat. And there are a whole host of angry Democrats and irritated Republicans who want that seat, depending on how the investigations turn out.

The list of Santos probes is lengthy: A federal investigation led by the U.S. attorney’s office in New York is looking into his financial matters, while the district attorney’s offices in Nassau County and in Queens are doing their own work, as is the state attorney general. The House Ethics Committee is also reviewing a complaint filed by a pair of Democrats, though that panel has not disclosed any separate investigation.”

Campaign finance inquiries can take years to yield an indictment, and members often continue serving in Congress while federal prosecutors compile a case.”

Could George Santos be removed from office? Yes. Is it likely? I’m not sure. It will depend on what charges arise and what seems to be the most egregious. Will these investigations be complete BEFORE the 2024 election? Who knows. But what is for certain is that Santos will never win another election in his district. Neither side wants him, and his best hope is to be a quiet Republican vote for the next two years, before allowing himself to fade into obscurity and a weird footnote in the House of Representatives.

And maybe next time, both sides should actually do their homework on their candidates, and their opposition research as well.

Featured image: Representative George Santos, official House portrait, cropped, public domain