In the plays of Shakespeare or, say, the Victorian novels of Dickens, Trollope, and Austen, there are often at least two plots at any one time: a serious dramatic story featuring the work’s main heroes and villains, and a comedic subplot populated by absurd characters.

In the real world, we also have comedic subplots. Take Rep. George Santos (RN.Y.), who served during American Democracy

has

spiraled out of control, the US Capitol was overrun and Donald Trump became a serious contender for re

–

pageant wanders on and off the national stage like an idiotic clown amusing the audience.

Santos has been a recurring gag amid our otherwise terrifying and riveting political drama, a slightly doughy, slightly hapless Mr. Magoo turned crook in a blazer, sweater, and chinos. He’s a con man who told lie after ridiculous lie,

ad absurdum

about his family background, education and work experience and although he was caught in the act, he steadfastly refused to be held accountable.

However, his free ride could come to an end. Federal prosecutors in New York announced Wednesday that the 34-year-old freshman congressman has been charged with a wide variety of not-so-funny crimes, including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress. In short, they claim, he defrauded and defrauded campaign donors and the US government.

Santos turned himself in to federal authorities on Long Island Wednesday morning and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Like my mom used to say, it’s all fun and games until it’s not anymore. Santos has been a national punchline in one of the weirdest scandals in US congressional history (and we were talking about a

governmental

body that was once home to Anthony Wiener!). But now he can be written out of the story altogether. The US law firm says he could face up to 20 years in prison on the highest counts.

The absurdity of the Santos situation first became apparent to me when I watched a video of him trying to make his way through House’s office buildings, lost but constantly on the move as he was chased and hounded every step of the way by a mob of bloodthirsty reporters . He tried to pretend they weren’t there; they had a great time at his expense.

He was bombarded with questions like, Hey George, what’s your name today? He tried to look dignified and talked oh-so-seriously into his phone as he walked, though I highly doubt anyone was on the other end of the line.

Santos quickly became the butt of the late

–

night shows.

I don’t consider the things I’ve said to be lies, said Jon Lovitz with a straight face, posing as Santos on Jimmy Fallon’s show. They’re kinda great

–

grandfather, Winston Churchill, would mention embellishments.

The crux of the joke was the fact that his lies were so brazen and so blatant and so mundane at the same time. So verifiable and refutable and yet so unimportant. Like when he said he’d been a star on the Baruch College volleyball team. I mean, who would lie about that?

He turned out not to be on the volleyball team. And not graduated from Baruch College at all

Horace Mann School, as he claimed. Nor did he work at Goldman Sachs or Citigroup.

He is not Jewish, as he repeatedly claimed to be. Or of Jewish descent. Or Jew

is

as he said later, he said.

His grandparents did not flee Hitler.

His mother was not at the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks. She was not in the country at all.

Santos’ behavior was certainly laughable, but it was also wrong, not to mention creepy. In the end, it was Jon Stewart who pointed out the obvious: We can’t confuse absurdity with lack of danger, he said. Absurdity always makes you think something is more benign than it is.

And it’s true: The endless fabrications are clearly not funny to Santos voters on Long Island, who now, six months after the 2022 election, are still represented in Congress by a serial liar. Or to those who gave him money for his campaign.

Or to those who took offense (and who wouldn’t?) at his strange claim that his grandparents had escaped the Holocaust and that his mother had been caught in the Al Qaeda attacks.

But Stewart meant more than just that. He was referring to the fact that so many people, including himself, had not taken Donald Trump seriously at first, seeing him as an innocent clown like Santos.

Trump

did

seemed like a joke in those early days. He said outrageous things, endless lies, propagated wacky conspiracy theories, and said there seemed to be little argument for Americans to vote for him, other than that he was a gaudy, wealthy, irreverent TV star.

Anyone who doesn’t remember how improbable it all seemed should watch the clip (which I recently saw courtesy of journalist Peter Beinart

‘s

newsletter) from Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) on ABC News with George Stephanopoulos and a panel of would-be political experts in July 2015.

In it, Ellison says that people who are against Trump should get active, get involved and vote.

This guy has some momentum and we better be prepared for the fact that he might be leading the Republican party, says Ellison.

At that point, everyone in the show bursts out laughing. Pearls of laughter, really. says Stephanopoulos with a grin and I don’t really blame him for this mistake of enormous historical magnitude, because I probably would have felt the same, I know you don’t believe that.

Ellison isn’t laughing. He says: Stranger things have happened.

President Santos anyone?

@nick_goldberg