World-class liar George Santos continues to come under pressure to either come clean about his record or resign in disgrace. But this week, as the famous saying from a classic horror movie tells us, the calls are coming from inside the house. Or, in this case, at least inside his home state. New York Republican Congressman Nick LaLota isn’t looking for corrections to Santos’ almost entirely fabricated resume. He’s calling on either the Department of Justice or the Federal Election Commission to freeze Santos’ campaign accounts, assuming there is actually any real money left in them. And it sounds as if he doubts that’s the case. (The Hill)

Rep. Nick LaLota is calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) to freeze fellow New York Republican Rep. George Santos’s campaign accounts amid escalating scrutiny of the new lawmaker’s false claims before and during his successful House bid last year.

“To the extent there is actually any real money in the campaign account of Congressman George Santos, the funds should be immediately frozen by the United States Department of Justice or Federal Election Commission,” reads LaLota’s statement, which he posted on Twitter on Sunday. “If those federal agencies need more authority to do so, I’ll take the lead.”

LaLota, along with six other House Republicans, has called on Santos to resign over his falsehoods. LaLota also called for the House Ethics Committee to launch an investigation into Santos last month.

LaLota represents New York’s 1st Congressional District, located out on the tip of Long Island, so he and Santos are basically next-door neighbors. And he’s not just asking questions about the source of Santos’ campaign money. He’s making accusations.

In his statement, LaLota charges that George Santos “fraudulently solicited these funds.” With that in mind, he doesn’t want his lying colleague to be able to drain the accounts now that the election is over. After “the proper Due Process,” LaLota wants to see the money (“to the extent there is actually any real money“) returned to the contributors “he duped.”

Nobody can accuse LaLota of pulling his punches, but he may want to be careful. Santos hasn’t been convicted of anything yet and the investigation is barely underway. Accusing someone of fraudulently soliciting funds is a very serious charge and could lead to claims of libel if the accusation isn’t proven. It’s possible that Santos obtained the money from some person or persons and did so in violation of FEC campaign finance rules, but that wouldn’t necessarily involve fraud. (It’s also possible the money doesn’t even exist, much like his college degree.)

I’ve been listening to the talking heads at CNN having a field day with the Santos story as you would probably expect. But they have frequently claimed that Republicans in the House, particularly Speaker McCarthy, haven’t been sufficiently critical of Santos because he’s “on their team.”

I would say that Nick LaLota puts the lie to that claim. And as for McCarthy, he’s already called for investigations into all of Santos’ activities. What more do they expect him to do during this early stage of the process? Are they looking for the Speaker to call a vote to expel him before he’s even been convicted? If they do, they would basically be ejecting him for lying, which is all that he’s provably done thus far. And if the House majority starts giving people the boot for lying, as I’ve said here umpteen times before, then an equal application of that standard will leave most of Washington looking like a ghost town. Just during Joe Biden’s speech on January 6, he delivered enough whoppers to justify a half-dozen impeachments if lying provides suitable cause for removal.

I’m afraid everyone is just going to need to be patient for a while. It’s become clear at least thus far that George Santos is incapable of any sense of shame and is content to ignore the growing wave of calls for his resignation. If either the FEC or the Justice Department can bring in proof of any sort of campaign finance malfeasance, Santos will soon be packing his bags and heading back to whichever relative, friend, or scam target is willing to allow him to darken their door. Until then, he’ll keep enjoying all of the perks of being in the swamp. Perhaps that’s somehow fitting in a bizarre Washinton way.