The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin
George Santos, the loony Republican representing New York’s 3rd District in the U.S. House, was expelled by Congress in a 311-114 vote.
Representatives from Indiana voting for expulsion were Republicans Erin Houchin, Rudy Yakym, Larry Bucshon and Greg Pence, along with Democrats Andre Carson and Frank Mrvan.
Good decision, you six.
Voting to keep Santos in his seat were Republicans Jim Banks, of Columbia City, a candidate for Indiana’s 2024 Republican U.S. Senate nomination; Jim Baird, of Greencastle, and Victoria Spartz, of Noblesville. They went along with House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Baird will do about anything to back Johnson, who said he had “reservations” about the expulsion but didn’t want to set precedent.
Spartz is leaving the House at the end of her term. She told CNN that she believed Santos did not receive due process from the House Ethics Committee.
The committee found that Santos engaged in fraudulent conduct, filed false election reports and used campaign funds for personal purposes. He “blatantly stole” from his own campaign and acknowledged that he embellished his background before being elected in November 2022, the committee reported.
Santos faces a 23-count indictment in New York federal court.
Explained Spartz, “So if we’re going to start doing this, we’ll be on the floor instead of doing governing, just really going after each other and having these resolutions day and night, which is really unhealthy because we have really, really big problems to deal with.”
Perhaps. But Americans really, really want trustworthy, honest people solving those problems.
Now there’s Jim Banks, the candidate vying to replace U.S. Sen. Mike Braun.
The day before the expulsion vote, Banks talked about Santos with Fort Wayne’s Morning News WOWO radio.
“I’m not going to defend him,” Banks said. “He might be one of the biggest con artists ever to serve in the halls of the Capitol, but his district elected him. They sent him to Washington and I bet they’re embarrassed by it. I bet there’s buyer’s remorse in the 3rd District of New York.
Banks continued, “But if lying during a campaign was a reason to kick somebody out of Congress, then most of Congress should be kicked out of Congress.”
That might make Hoosiers fearful of Banks’ run for the Senate. He seems willing to let candidates lie and get by with it. Or is it OK only if the lying candidate is Republican?
The only judges, in Banks’ world, are voters.
Let’s be honest. Voters would not know of Santos’ abuses without an aggressive news media or a House Ethics Committee.
To paraphrase author Stephen King, the trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool.
Candidate embellishments seem to be OK with Jim Banks.
It’s time he learned — in time to be transparent and honest with voters before next year’s Senate election in Indiana — the best policy is to speak and seek the truth. In that light, Banks, Spartz and Baird should have held a fellow politician accountable.
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