By Emil Guillermo
Disgraced former New York Representative George Santos didn’t last a term in office before he made history as the sixth person ever to be expelled from Congress recently.
You want to know how to make history?
Just look at Barbara Lee, a member of Congress since 1998, who, in 2001, was the only member of the House to vote against giving a blank check to attack any country involved in the Sept. 11 attacks.
Voting against Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists (AUMF) took guts and courage. She was the only one to take that stand.
To this day, whenever I mention Lee’s name to someone outside of her Alameda County district, people never fail to mention how they recall how she was the lone person in Congress to stand for her principles and values on that key vote.
Compare that to Santos, who has 23 federal indictments for lying and fraud related to campaign finance laws. He’s never once refuted the charges despite given opportunities by reporters.
And then there’s the House Ethics Committee investigation that found Santos’ conduct brought such “severe disrepute to the House” that it jeopardized public trust.
But it surely must have made you appreciate being represented by Barbara Lee even more.
That Santos could even be in the same legislative body as Lee insults our democracy.
Lee knew the right action was to vote for Santos’ expulsion the first time they tried on Nov. 2
She joined other Republicans who were ready to throw out Santos then, but the vote failed because most Democrats chose to play politics. Some said it would set a dangerous precedent since Santos hadn’t been convicted yet.
But Lee knew the violations to the institution were serious enough already. She voted Santos out. In doing so, she again cast a vote that set her apart from your average self-serving politico.
“George Santos lied about everything—from 9/11 and the Holocaust to his own name,” Lee tweeted. “He defrauded voters, stole money, and faces criminal charges in two countries. I voted to expel him from Congress today.”
Lee, who is running for the Senate seat vacated by the death of Dianne Feinstein, noted how her opponents in the Senate race chose to give Santos a pass. Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) did. And Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) didn’t even vote. Travel delay, Schiff said later.
That’s not a good excuse when the people depend on your vote to whittle away at a slim GOP majority in the House.
Then came the vote last week, a month later. On Dec. 1, when the House voted again on Santos’ expulsion, Porter and Schiff joined Lee.
Who’s the leader, and who are the followers? Regarding the integrity of Congress, it would have to be Barbara Lee, Alameda County’s member of the House.
That’s why the nation needs someone like Barbara Lee representing California in the Senate. And yet, who is trailing in campaign donations at this stage in the process? Schiff, the impeachment chair, and Porter have raised millions of dollars. Lee is far behind.
Lee’s a pol with integrity who can use all the help she can get. You can trust her to do the right thing.
She helped put Santos where he belongs: Making cameo videos to his Gawker groupies online while he waits for a call from “Dancing with the Stars.”
Lee, on the other hand, deserves to be where she belongs— as the fourth Black woman in the U.S. Senate.
She should have been the third. But Gov. Gavin Newsom played politics and picked Laphonza Butler to fill the vacancy caused by Feinstein’s passing.
Butler has said she will not run once the term is done, but people can change their minds.
In the meantime, Lee’s ready to do the hard work. She deserves broad support throughout the state for what she’s accomplished in the House.
As of this week, she’s officially on the ballot for Feinstein’s spot next March. Tell your friends throughout the state that Lee doesn’t play politics.
She just does the right thing. And isn’t that what you’d want from a House stalwart seeking to take the next step up to the U.S. Senate?
Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a micro-talk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1
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