It says a lot about the current Republican party — and just how painfully desperate Kevin McCarthy was to be named Speaker of the House of Representatives — that one of the new congress’ very first acts was to essentially give a middle finger to the Ethics Committee. And pathological fabulist George Santos, for one, couldn’t be happier.
While it took House Republicans several days, 15 rounds of voting, and one near-brawl to actually name a leader, they didn’t waste any time in essentially disabling the Office of Congressional Ethics. As Insider reports, one of the group’s first acts on Monday was to enact a new set of guiding rules for members of the House that will make it much more difficult for the Ethics committee to actually investigate a congressperson for suspected wrongdoing. Which seems like a terrible idea to pretty much anyone who is not a corrupt congressperson. And explains why New York congressman Santos, who has reportedly lied about everything — from his school to his jobs to his religion to his MOTHER DYING ON 9/11 — is all for the new ruling.
“I think it’s fantastic,” the controversial congressman told Insider of the new rules, which just passed with a vote of 220 to 213. Though he was just sworn into congress a few days ago, Santos is already the subject of at least two Office of Congressional Ethics complaints related to financial matters. He’s also the subject of multiple investigations due to the many lies he told in order to secure his congressional seat.
While Santos didn’t want to talk about any of the accusations against him, he disagreed with the idea that handcuffing the Ethics committee would be a good thing for him and other shifty types. “I think it just gives them more power,” he bizarrely said of the changes, then mentioned that he is very much for term limits.
Ultimately, Santos thinks the changes are “a good thing for transparency. It’s a good thing for Americans. Renewal.” Whatever that means.
(Via Insider)