Stay Tuned with Preet: The Many Lies of George Santos
Dec 28, 2023
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Mark Chiusano, author of "The Fabulist," joins Preet Bharara to dissect the outlandish tale of George Santos, a politician notorious for his web of lies. They discuss Santos's rise to power and the failures of the vetting process that enabled his deceitful career. The conversation also touches on the psychological factors behind such political dishonesty and how it mirrors broader trends in American politics, raising concerns about the implications for public trust and accountability.
George Santos's lifelong habit of lying and deception reflects the failures in the vetting process and raises questions about the consequences of allowing individuals like him to deceive their way into office.
The challenge of recognizing habitual liars like George Santos highlights the difficulties in uncovering lies and the lack of accountability in the political system, emphasizing the need to understand the complexities of identifying and confronting chronic liars.
Deep dives
The Lies and Grifting of George Santos
George Santos, a former congressman expelled due to ethics violations, is the subject of Mark Chizano's book, 'The Fabulous, The Lying Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos.' Santos's lifelong habit of lying and deception is explored, with the author delving into why Santos lies and what his rise to power says about the political system. Santos's lies extend beyond simple mistruths to elaborate fabrications about his background, including college degrees, Holocaust survivor grandparents, and a volleyball championship. The book also examines the failures in the vetting process that allowed Santos to get elected and questions about his mental state.
Similarities to Trump's Lying
George Santos has modeled himself after Donald Trump, both in speech patterns and style. Santos emulates Trump's bombastic rhetoric, even borrowing his social media memes. However, Santos's lying predates Trump's rise, suggesting that he remade himself to align with Trump's style. The book explores the similarities between their aversion to the truth and raises questions about the consequences of allowing regular individuals like Santos to deceive their way into office.
Challenges of Recognizing Deception
The book highlights the challenge of recognizing habitual liars like George Santos, as people often want to give them the benefit of the doubt. Despite Santos's numerous proven lies, many underestimated the extent of his deception and its impact on politics. The story also reveals the difficulties in uncovering lies and the lack of accountability in the political system. The author reflects on the lessons learned about human nature in the process of writing the book, particularly in understanding the complexities of identifying and confronting chronic liars.
On is off for the holidays, so today we have an episode of friend-of-the-pod Preet Bharara's podcast Stay Tuned with Preet. In this episode, Preet is joined by author Mark Chiusano for a deep dive on our favorite (or least favorite) Washington fabulist: George Santos.
Mark Chiusano is the author of The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos. He joins Preet to discuss Santos’s lifetime of lies, and what his ascension to power says about our political system.
On will be back with a fresh episode on January 4, 2024. Listen to Stay Tuned with Preet every Monday and Thursday: https://link.chtbl.com/staytuned