A GOP Veteran of Congress Says Santos Has to Go

Lots of people think George Santos ought to resign from Congress because of the seemingly unending series of deceptions attributed to him (the latest involves a dying dog). One person who might have better perspective than most is Peter King, who served in Congress for nearly three decades and became one of the most powerful Republicans before his retirement last year. In a New York Times essay, King sees no possible way Santos can function as a member of Congress. Every representative, especially a new one, needs to have strong working relationships with other lawmakers, and King thinks Santos doesn't have a prayer on this front.

"Except perhaps for a few ineffective congressional outliers, I can't imagine a member of either party working or cooperating with Mr. Santos," writes King, calling him a "dead man walking." Yes, King is well aware of his party's slim majority in the House, but he still thinks GOP congressional leaders should force Santos out and follow up with an investigation by the House ethics panel. If not, they may pay a price later, he warns. "Failure to do what's morally and politically right could cause voters across New York to punish Republican officeholders in a presidential election year because the GOP did not find a way to dump Mr. Santos," King writes. Read the full essay. (More George Santos stories.)