Quote of the Day (Merrie Spaeth, on ‘The Most Damaging Part’ of George Santos’ Story)

“Communications professionals have long recognized the challenges of issuing a public denial. The listener is likely to overlook the denial and actually hear the opposite of what the speaker is trying to say. But the most damaging part of Mr. Santos’s story is that national Republicans knew the details of his official biography were suspect and did nothing. Senior Republican staffers have told reporters that these falsehoods were widely known and became a running joke.”— Merrie Spaeth, Dallas communications consultant and director of media relations under Ronald Reagan, on mendacious rookie New York Congressman George Santos, “Is George Santos Believable-ish?,” The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 29, 2022