Despite being outed as a serial liar, newly elected congressman George Santos arrived in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. However, along with the rest of the freshman class, Santos was not sworn in thanks to the ongoing debacle over the Speaker of the House vote. In one of the few honest moments of his fledgling political career, Santos was not responsible for the press release announcing he was sworn in. The same thing happened to all new members without their knowledge.
Had the Speaker vote been successful, Santos would’ve most likely joined his Republican colleagues, but there are mounting questions surrounding the legality of allowing Santos to serve in Congress. According to Vice, Santos’ citizenship is now under scrutiny considering pretty much everything he said while campaigning was a lie.
To serve in Congress, Santos must have been a U.S. citizen for seven years, and apparently, no government official has verified that information because it turns out nobody knows what the heck to do in this situation:
The office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives tells VICE News it’s not their job to check, New York State’s election board says it wasn’t their job and isn’t their problem now, and neither House Republicans or Democrats have anything to say on the matter. The question would perhaps go to the House Ethics Committee, but it points to the House Administration Committee, which for its part points back to the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Experts said that no one is missing anything and that in fact no one is really in charge.
Of course, concerns about Santos’ eligibility to serve might become a moot point. Law enforcement officials in Brazil have reportedly reinstated fraud charges against the New York congressman-elect who admitted to stealing a man’s checkbook while living in the country in 2008, according to CNN. That investigation could answer questions about Santos’ citizenship or unearth a whole new web of lies. Honestly, anything can happen at this point.