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- Ex-Rep. George Santos (R-NY), just after he was booted out of Congress.
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Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is now just plain old George Santos. He said goodbye to the House of Representatives… and hello to a future on reality TV, presumably!
- Gonzales guessed right about shit-canning Santos. But even this third attempt to expel the Long Island rep wasn’t a slam-dunk. According to some members, the GOP-led effort to oust Santos was flagging as late as this morning, as Santos’ detractors failed to convince enough Republicans that a con-artist liar-thief is unworthy of the public trust (imagine that!). But then Rep. Max Miller, a Trumpist Republican from Ohio, circulated a letter to GOP members detailing how Santos had ripped off him…and his mom. Miller alleged that Santos’ campaign had made unauthorized charges, in excess of federal campaign contribution limits, to his and his mom’s credit cards. He added that he’s seen a list of up to 400 others, including possibly other GOP lawmakers, who were similarly scammed. “I think Max’s last-minute email to all the members determined the outcome for him,” Rep. David Joyce (R-OH), who authored the Ethics Committee report against Santos, told CNN after the vote.
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Ripping off American voters is one thing…. But ripping off Max Miller’s mom? Too far!
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A whopping 105 Republicans joined with all but two Dems for expulsion. But 112 Republicans voted not to expel Santos, including Speaker Mike Johnson and the three other top GOP House leaders. On one hand, their support of Santos is another example of the giddy embrace of lawlessness (for Republicans) that animates the Trumpist House GOP. After you’ve supported overturning an election, celebrated rioters, threatened witnesses, interfered in criminal investigations, and promoted Jan. 6 propaganda, what’s one Long Island huckster in fancy shoes? (Answer: He’s your kinda guy!) On the other hand, it’s an example of the stunning hypocrisy that continues to animate the GOP, which remains in Trump’s thrall. A highly specific House Ethics report detailing Santos’ lying and griftiness, along with a 23-count federal indictment, was not enough real evidence to convince these GOP leaders that Santos should go. But they have plenty of imaginary evidence to pretend they’ve got a serious impeachment case against Joe Biden. “It’s not that deep. It’s theft,” Rep. Joyce said, emphasizing that his Ethics report is very, very easy to follow for signs of Santos’ inexcusable behavior. Asked how he could support Santos given the evidence of his lying and criminality, Rep. Tim Burchett simply shrugged and said: “We’re a bunch of sinners.” Keep that in mind when it’s time for Hunter Biden to seek a grace-check from GOP lawmakers.
“Why would I want to stay here?,” asked Santos, the guy who fought to stay there.
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Aside from gleeful dishonesty, GOP leaders are also motivated to keep Santos by legislative math. With Santos gone, the four-vote cushion, which was very much not enjoyed by ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, is now three. Ohio GOP Rep. Bill Johnson is leaving to take a higher-paying university job by mid-March, so make that margin two. No wonder right-wing lawmakers like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene were so mad at the idea of accountability for a Republican. Speaker Mike Johnson is headed into a fight over funding for Israel, Ukraine, the U.S. border and more that splits his party in several ways. Dems are split too, particularly on Israel, but Johnson is the one that will have to muster an agreement with Senate Dems and Republicans to avoid leaving Israel in the lurch. And, as we wrote yesterday, he’s already bleeding right-wing support. Even Fox News lamented that Santos’ ouster was a shame because he was such a big Israel supporter. Which brings us to…N.Y.-3.
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"The clerk will notify the Governor of New York of the action of the House," Speaker Johnson declared as he brought the gavel down on Santos’ expulsion. New York’s 3rd Congressional District is what Dem strategists and pollsters refer to as “a juicy, ripe tomato.” Okay, we made that up. But seriously: Joe Biden won NY-3 by eight points in 2020 before Santos got elected in 2022. Under New York law, the governor has 10 days from today to call a special election, and that spesh has to take place between 70 and 80 days later. That means Dems have a big chance to flip that Long Island seat by mid-March or so. It’s a crowded field already, including former Rep. Tom Suozzi, who didn’t run in 2022 because he was running unsuccessfully for governor. BTW, having Santos gone could also make it harder for Speaker Johnson to officially pursue impeaching Joe Biden. Johnson’s under pressure to officially launch that inquiry and try to impeach Biden on the floor, but swing-district Republicans aren’t into it and he lacks the votes.
And yes, Santos can run again. There’s nothing barring an expelled member from trying to get back in the House. Was Santos lying on Thursday, when he said he could give Congress another shot, or on Friday, when he said, “why would I want to stay here?” Who knows!
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This week’s Keep It is all about movies and movie stars! Tune in to hear Louis and Ira’s thoughts on the recently released film, Saltburn starring Barry Keoghan and internet heartthrob Jacob Elordi. Plus, they react to the recent firing of actress Melissa Barrera from the iconic Scream franchise over her pro-palestinian comments. And, you’ll hear their interview with May December’s Director Todd Haynes. Fair warning, there are definitely spoilers in this episode.
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Israel and Hamas resumed fighting after their seven-day truce ended this morning. Each side blamed the other for breaking the truce, but both sides seemed to acknowledge that the root cause was a breakdown in the hostages-for-ceasefire equation that had allowed the truce to begin. Hamas launched rockets into Israel, while IDF units resumed operations in Gaza. The resumption of fighting signaled an end to the brief, relatively brighter period of news about the daily release of hostages and prisoners, and a return of the dark business of civilians caught in a war with few options to escape the carnage.
Israel has made clear that Southern Gaza is next as it reups its assault on Hamas. Under public pressure from the U.S. to do more to avoid civilian deaths, Israel released a new map it said was designed to help Gazans find safe zones as IDF forces push south. The IDF also dropped leaflets over the city of Khan Younis in Southern Gaza urging civilians to move further south to Rafah. “You have been warned,” the leaflets state.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with officials from Egypt, Qatar, Jordan and other Arab countries on the sidelines of the Cop28 climate conference in Dubai Friday, in what U.S. officials said was an attempt to find a path toward ending the Israel-Hamas war but also restarting the now-dead idea of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.
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Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) promoted and authored the forward to a 2022 book filled with conspiracy theories, homophobic slurs, and even a defense of famous guys who used the N-word. It’s all in “The Revivialist Manifesto,” by Scott McKay, which boosts the “Pizzagate '' conspiracy theory, implies Chief Justice John Roberts was subject to blackmail because of Jeffrey Epstein, and calls Sec. Pete Buttigieg a “queer choice” to lead the Dept. of Transportation. Johnson called the book “valuable and timely.
Trump’s lawyers were in Fulton County court today trying to get the Georgia election interference conspiracy case against the former president dismissed. Their “free speech” strategy didn’t work for other defendants. Judge Scott McAfee likely won’t rule before early in the new year.
Hundreds of thousands of low-income adults in North Carolina will get access to medical care under the state’s Medicaid expansion, which launched today. NC Republicans had rejected expansion for years but finally came around after they gained confidence Congress wouldn’t repeal the Affordable Care Act. It’s the 40th state to expand Medicaid.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an interview to the AP where he previews his country’s defense this winter against Russia’s invasion, assesses the fight over the summer, worries about the Israel-Hamas war distracting from his own struggle.
The DeSantis-Newsom sideshow debate already seems like a distant memory. Our vote for best moment of night? When Ron DeSantis tried to squirm out of the accusation that he followed verifiable, scientific facts. He’s trying to win a GOP primary, after all!
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Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court, died Friday at 93. O’Connor began her career at a time when a woman law graduate could barely get a job as a lawyer. But she rose through the appellate court to an historic SCOTUS appointment by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. She served on the Court for 24 years.
O’Connor was a Republican. But she’d hardly recognize the Court’s partisan rightward lurch under its current GOP-appointed majority. “She was not an ideologue…she didn’t like posturing, she didn’t like showing off,” said Evan Thomas, the biographer and author of “First: Sandra Day O’Connor.” She was critical in fashioning 1992’s Casey v Planned Parenthood decision, which preserved abortion rights at a time when the Court’s conservatives were gunning for them. (Of course, they’d finally succeed 30 years later with the Dobbs decision last year.) O’Connor also authored the 5-4 majority opinion upholding affirmative action in college admissions in 2003’s Grutter v. Bollinger.
O’Connor’s career is yet another reminder of what’s at stake as Republicans pursue an ideological takeover of the judiciary, and how vital the 2024 election is — for both the White House AND the Senate.
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Yet another federal court ordered Texas to remove buoys intended to keep migrants from crossing the Rio Grande. A 5th Circuit panel backed up a lower court that said the buoys interfered with federal jurisdiction and were also “a potential threat to human life.” The case is likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court.
And yet another federal appeals court ruled Friday that disgraced former president Donald Trump can be sued civilly for his actions on Jan. 6. The court ruled that Trump’s incitement on Jan. 6 was not, in fact, part of the president’s job.
And finally, yet another federal court denied Trump's motion to dismiss his criminal case in Washington D.C. for alleged election subversion over his claim of "presidential immunity."
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