For as long as the American Government has been founded, politicians have been regarded for their interesting viewpoints and actions. More recently, members of the Democratic and Republican party both have had their fair share of news reports on their constant odd behavior. The public and fellow congress members have been questioning this behavior and many feel that these politicians have gotten away with too much. This has led to backlash, concerned citizens, and most of all speculation within the capability of our policy makers. 

Ron’s Run

Recently Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Governor, and his trustworthiness has been called into question with his snake-like actions pertaining to the presidential election. It all began with the announcement of his presidential run on X (formerly known as Twitter) in May of 2023, following this, DeSantis viciously attacked candidate Nikki Haley in the Republican primary debate by calling her a “phony.” Fast forward almost a month later, Ronnie drops out of the race for presidency and pushes his support for whoever is chosen as the Republican candidate. With his flip-floppy attitude it is hard to trust his word. Not that long ago he was tearing into other candidates and now he’ll support whoever? It almost seems like if he can’t become president, then he’ll use the clout from publicly supporting the Republican representative to keep his political power. 

Looking for Lloyd

From early December to all the way into early January, Lloyd Austin, the United States Secretary of Defense, has been dealing with prostate cancer and the after effects of his surgery. He spends his time out of the hospital working from home without delegating with any of his colleagues. He spent over two weeks in-and-out of the hospital and he transfers some of his security staff to different people without explanation as to why. It is quite troubling if the person who is supposed to be our country’s defense adviser acts in such a suspicious way. This would also call into question the capabilities of the government itself. Why have they let Austin be on such a hiatus without thinking of investigating it after its longevity. If Austin were to be forced to stay in the hospital or pass because of his battle with cancer, what would’ve happened? We’d be left without a Secretary of Defense because of our government’s failure. One of Austin’s aides said, “We’re trying to remain a little subtle.” So they wanted them to take Austin to the hospital without any of the lights or sirens on. Apparently the subtly extended to telling almost no one about this. On February 14th Austin is expected to give testimony at a hearing.

Lies, Lies, Lies    

Former US Representative George Santos, was expelled from his seat in Congress in December of 2023, for allegations of theft and mis-use of campaign funds. With such significant accusations, fellow politicians and the people of New York had been convinced that Santos’ true intentions were brought into the spotlight. According to Santos’ indictment by Congress, Santos told a political consultant to tell potential donors that their money would be used to help elect him to the House of Representatives. Instead, Santos allegedly laundered the $50,000 into his personal account to make purchases for Hermes suits, OnlyFans, and other payments to associates. With these expenses, some might say his taste for luxury goods outweighs his push to help the American people, especially the New Yorkers he pledged to support. The receipts for his “campaign” expenses brought into question his ethics as many held the belief that he was abusing his position in Congress. This attitude set the precedent towards the way Americans responded to him while also serving as a catalyst for the rest of Santos’ web of lies to unravel. During Santos’ election campaign, he frequently described himself as a “proud American Jew.” Once it was revealed that Santos was actually Catholic, he tried to defend himself during an interview with Piers Morgan on the Piers Morgan Uncensored show. Santos said “I never said I was Jewish, but Jew-ish, I would always say I was raised Catholic, but I come from a Jewish family, so that makes me Jew-ish. It’s always been a party-favor joke.”  However, this was deemed an insensitive comment by the public and fellow politicians, in fact, a Chief Executive from The Republican Jewish Coalition said “He deceived us and misrepresented his heritage.” They also condemned Santos’ behavior by including that he would not be welcomed at the group’s future events, communicating that they found it to be offensive to their faith. Santos continued to make false claims, by saying that the incident which occurred on 9/11 led to his mother’s death. Yet, his campaign website states that “George’s mother was in her office in the South Tower on September 11, 2001, when the horrific events of that day unfolded. She survived the tragic events on September 11th, but she passed away a few years later when she lost her battle to cancer.” This information was void when records showed that in an application filed in 2004  for a visa to enter the United States, his mother said that she had left the country for Brazil in 1999 and had not returned since. This affirmed that Santos was full of falsehoods and could not be trusted to hold his position in office, thus causing both Republicans and Democrats to want him ousted. Throughout Santos’ time in running for office and in-office, he lost the trust of his fellow constituents and the American people when the truth behind his accusations were revealed.

Who’s in the Black Book?

**Trigger Warning**

Recently, court documents listing Jeffrey Epstein’s associations, known as “The Black Book” have been released to the public. Epstein was notorious for running a human trafficking ring which he was jailed for in 2019 and faced charges for the sex trafficking of minors, but before his court date he committed suicide. The courts were unable to charge him with anything due to his passing, however, his connections and information he held were shown to courts and used to charge others working with him such as Ghislaine Maxwell. A possession of Epsteins’ that was used by the courts was known as “The Black Book.” This book contained the names of celebrities, politicians, and businessmen known to have visited his Island or plane. An immediately recognizable name from the book was the 42nd US President Bill Clinton. After Epstein’s house was raided in 2019 and the FBI found an art piece with Bill Clinton in a dress, many believed that Clinton participated in illegal activities by Epstein’s connections.  A junior at Fairfax High School, said “I would not trust [Clinton] in government after receiving this information.” While people feel that he could be a danger within the government and should avoid giving his wife, Hillary Clinton further power due to her husband’s connections with Epstein, ultimately tainting Hillary’s political future. Although it is not confirmed that he took part in any illegal activities regarding Epstein, Clinton being named in the Black Book alone is enough information for the public to question his integrity as a former President. This also brings into question the ethics of our current politicians, such as Trump, also listed in the book, who is also running for the second time and whether or not they partake in any illegal activities in their past times. Americans wonder about the future of their country as it could be held in the hands of corrupt politicians. As voters navigate the chaos of current-day politics, there is still hope to reduce this behavior. In fact, as of recently, the public and media outlets are quick to slam politicians for their scandals and risky behavior, as well as fellow politicians speaking out against such behavior.