Seth Udinski, FISM News
The controversy surrounding Rep. George Santos (R., N.Y.) continues to heighten as an interview with Piers Morgan revealed Santos admitted he “got away with lying” during his 2020 election bid, which he lost to Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi.
The interview, which aired Monday, is the latest in a slew of revelations against the contentious politician, who has been found to have lied about various personal qualifications including his resume and education.
Morgan pressed Santos regarding his successful 2022 election campaign saying, “To run for Congress of the United States and to just tell blatant lies about even your academic record — I’m just struck, not necessarily that a politician would lie, but that you would think no one would find out.”
Santos responded frankly, “Well, I’ll humor you this, I ran in 2020 for the same exact seat for Congress and I got away with it then.”
Morgan then asked if Santos had any inclination that he would be caught, to which he said, “No, I didn’t think so. But to that effect, it’s embarrassing, it’s humbling to have to admit your faults as a human being.”
Santos has drawn ire from political elites across the spectrum, leading many analysts to believe his many controversies have torpedoed any future chance he has to make a career in Washington.
Last month, FISM News reporter Willie Tubbs described the fiasco that the controversy surrounding Santos has become, writing,
What began with the revelation of lies the Republican representative told en route to becoming a freshman member of the House, indeed the first openly gay Republican to ever hold such a seat, has morphed into a cavalcade of the absurd. In recent days, Santos has been accused of stealing money from a dying dog, alleged to have once participated in a Brazilian drag pageant, and had his Twitter account banned and reinstated thrice.
Despite all the controversy, Santos has not indicated that he will abdicate his position, though the prevailing theory is it is extremely unlikely he will get reelected in 2024 if he chooses to run again.
Author’s Biblical Analysis
The “Santos saga” is a poignant reminder for Christians on several levels. First, we see the dangers of lying. Fabricating the truth for personal gain is a sin against God, who is the author of truth. An attack on the truth is an attack on God Himself.
We also see a grave warning against those who would fool themselves into thinking they can sin and get away with it. No matter how much we try to “cover our tracks,” our sin will always find us out.
Santos has come to a reckoning, where his lying has caught up with him and has now harmed his reputation. Before we get too high and mighty, let us be reminded that we all must appropriately deal with our sin, lest it also catches up with us.
How do we deal rightly with sin? We confess it to God and to the person we’ve sinned against, and we repent of it. We turn from it and put it to death.
One obvious biblical account that this report mirrors is David’s sin against Bathsheba from 2 Samuel 11. David’s sin begot sin, beginning with his laziness in loafing around his palace when he should have been leading the army to war (1 Samuel 11:1).
That sin gave birth to lust when he saw Bathsheba bathing on her rooftop. That led to adultery, which led to David attempting to deceitfully cover up his sin when Bathsheba informed him she was pregnant.
David attempted to have the pregnancy covered up by calling Bathsheba’s husband Uriah off the battlefield. Under the guise of a council of war, David intended to direct Uriah to his wife so that he might be intimate with her, and as such, pass the unborn child off as Uriah’s.
Uriah was faithful to serving David and his country and refused to lay with her, so David committed a final sin to cover up his earlier sins: he orchestrated the murder of Uriah on the battlefield.
None of this was hidden from God, and in His grace, He brought Nathan the prophet to David to reveal his egregious sins in 2 Samuel 12. Upon Nathan’s charge against David, David responded as all sinful men of God should when called to account: He repented.
So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. – 2 Samuel 12:13
Believer, your sin will always find you out. But praise God for His grace in providing those who hold us accountable. It does not feel good at the time, but this is one way that God provides freedom for His children when they are trapped in sin. This is one of the most loving this He does for us: He reveals to us the ugliness of our sin and draws us to repentance.
May our response always be one of repentance when we fall, being confident that God will always forgive a sinner who truly repents.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9