photo by Javier Gonzalez-Duarte

After fraudulent actions and little progress done in Congress, former congressman George Santos has become an internet sensation. From Botox to Cameo, Santos highlights how the United States government is filled with scandals and needs to be changed.

“Botox keeps you young, fillers keep you plump.”

“Live, laugh, love, and let the haters hate.”

“There is no such thing as diva down, ok, it’s always diva up!”

While these phrases sound like they were plucked from an episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, they were recorded by former congressman George Santos—some of his many viral Cameo sound bites.

After Santos was voted out of Congress on Dec. 1 for his 23 felony counts of fraud, he turned to the app Cameo, a platform where users can purchase scripted videos from celebrities. According to Vanity Fair, Santos currently earns an average of $400 per video. A ridiculous transition from Congress to Cameo, the Santos scandal has brought to the surface an important and noteworthy question: how have we selected such lunatics to be our nation’s leaders?

Representing the third district of New York, Santos was elected by the people to act as a leader and aid for public outcry—not to fabricate familial ties to the Holocaust, falsely claim to have graduated from Baruch College in New York or state his mother was present at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, also proven to be lies. Paying for botox, trips to Atlantic city, spa days and purchases from Sephora and OnlyFans, an estimated over $240,000 were withdrawn from his campaign funds for unknown purposes, according to NBC news. A campaign built on lies and a term of little progress and productivity, Santos is a true icon…of fraud.

The main concern isn’t that a “diva” was elected into Congress, but a lying one. How can one falsify information on not only their ancestry and finances, but their college education and still make it into Congress? Where was curiosity over his claims from those in power? Ultimately, people can vote for whomever they want—this is the whole purpose of democracy. But there should still be basic requirements for one to land on the ballot for a Congressional race. For starters, a request for official transcripts from Santos’ “alma mater” would have quickly debunked his claim of graduation. Even a basic personality test would have revealed his compulsive lying and lack of interest in working in Congress.

Yes, voters should have the competence to research whom they vote for rather than casting a blind eye, but the federal government should also propose a solution to preserve the validity and trustworthiness of the House. How can one have full faith in their elected officials if they could be laced with scandal and incompetence? In order to restore and maintain the establishment of the House of Representatives, both the government and voters must increase their awareness of candidates’ backgrounds and plans for action. To have a productive Congress, we have to elect productive people. High-stake decisions regarding federal policies and security lay in the hands of our representatives, and we must choose wisely whom we hand that power to. While scandals can be entertaining and amusing, they need to be kept out of Congress.

Hopefully, the United States’ next diva will land on reality television, not in the Capitol Building.