“I work hard to avoid ~~even~~ only the appearance of impropriety.” —-Not Rep. Richard Hanna

Has anyone in the recent past been punished for lying to the Congress ?

I'm not sure about the most recent successful charge, but this is one of the charges used against James Comey: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosecution_of_James_Comey

Here's a 2018 article listing some prosecutions: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/5-people-who-lied-...

Because it's the DoJ prosecuting, I think it's uncommon for the government to prosecute administration witnesses, even from previous administrations. Once upon a time Congress would prosecute and impose punishment itself: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contempt_of_Congress#Inherent_...

Mostly, they want to be lied to. If we start holding power accountable, it might come around to them!

Who's supposed to punish congress, it damn aint the people

Nowadays, not so much "deceiving" going on but rather "believe me or your lying eyes" vibes coming from the government.

I actually miss the days when the US administration in charge at least tried to appear not to be corrupt and malicious.

Let's say--hypothetically--that the U.S. President walked out into Times Square in broad daylight and shot a person to death unprovoked. Who would prosecute that crime?

If you can't (or won't) be prosecuted, why hide your crime?

New York State, due to the fact that murder is generally a state level charge and not a federal one. However, your broader point still stands.