We found the one thing George Santos claimed to be—and really was

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     January 20, 2023 Tim Murphy, senior reporter at Mother Jones here. Like the universe itself, [the list of all of the things George Santos hasn’t done](, but says he has, is vast and constantly expanding. He did not work for Citigroup. He did not double revenue at Goldman Sachs. He did not have two knee replacement operations because of his college volleyball career. He did not have a college volleyball career. He did not go to college. He did not own 13 properties through his family. He did not register his charity with the IRS. He did not, reportedly, help that guy out with his dog. For much of his life, he did not even go by George Santos. But there’s one thing the new Republican congressman from Long Island claimed to be, and really was: [a Young Gun](. "Young Gun" is the National Republican Congressional Committee’s term for its top candidates—the several dozen challengers who have cleared specific fundraising criteria in key races. It sounds highly selective. The kind of club George Santos would have pretended to be a member of. [But the whole point is that it’s actually not](. You don’t have to be particularly young to be a member. You don’t, it turns out, even have to be who you say you are. The story of the Young Guns is the story of the modern GOP. [For this week’s Big Feature](, I told the story of the rise and fall of the men who popularized the term—Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, and Kevin McCarthy—from their gritty origin story to their heyday in the Obama era, to their downfall at the hands of the forces they empowered. McCarthy wasn’t the brightest of the bunch, but he is the last one standing, in part, because of his willingness to aid and abet his party’s worst actors. The key to McCarthy’s politics wasn’t any particular code, but the lack of one; anyone who won a primary and hit their fundraising marks was invited into the club. That lack of standards, and willingness to embrace the party’s increasingly rabid rank-and-file, was an ideology every bit as significant as Ryan’s austerity—and ultimately more useful. McCarthyism was whatever Republicans were in the mood for. I hope you take some time to [read the piece here.]( —Tim Murphy Advertisement [House Subscriptions Ad]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Trump Confused His Ex-Wife With the Rape Accuser He Called “Not My Type”]( A newly unsealed deposition undermines the former president's go-to defense against E. Jean Carroll's rape allegation. BY MADISON PAULY SPONSORED CONTENT BY HEIFER INTERNATIONAL   Free Goat Tote with Your Monthly Gift Heifer International is a global nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger and poverty. As a monthly donor, you’ll give families the resources, education and opportunity to thrive. If you join now, we’ll send you your very own goat tote to say thanks. [Join today]( — and make a difference for a lifetime. [Trending] [Atmospheric greenhouse gases do not discriminate, but people do]( BY MARK SCHAPIRO   [A federal judge fined Trump and his lawyer nearly $1 million]( BY RUSS CHOMA   [I helped women in Texas get abortions before Roe. I can't believe I'm still having to do the same scary work.]( KITTY S., AS TOLD TO MARY TUMA   [Florida colleges will no longer "fund or support" critical race theory]( BY ARIANNA COGHILL Advertisement [House Donations Ad]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [How Kevin McCarthy became the last "young gun" standing]( Before he could win anything, he had to believe in nothing. BY TIM MURPHY [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755