Local Republican officials in upstate New York called GOP Rep. George Santos a joke, a disgrace, an abnormal liar and a pathological liar and said on Wednesday the newly elected congressman must resign immediately, accusing him of launching a campaign of “deception and lies.” “ to have led.
But Santos has refused, doubling down on his intention to remain in Congress while his Republican counterparts on Long Island have called for his resignation.
“George Santos’ campaign last year was a campaign of deceit, lies and fabrication,” Nassau County Republican Party leader Joseph Cairo said at a news conference.
“He deceived voters in the 3rd congressional district, he deceived members of the Nassau County Republican Committee, elected officials, his peers, candidates, his opponents and even some of the media,” Cairo said. “He disgraced the House of Representatives and we do not consider him one of our congressmen.”
Nassau County Republican Party Chairman Joseph Cairo and members of the Nassau County Republican Committee hold a
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Cairo’s harsh comments were the first in a parade of more than a dozen Republican officials from Santos County, each of whom called on the new lawmaker to give up its seat.
“It’s a national joke, it’s an international joke, but this joke needs to go,” said Hempstead City Supervisor Don Clavin.
Other speakers called him an “eyesore” in the party who behaved like a “pathological liar”.
When his state allies deserted him, Santos sounded defiant in Washington, DC
“I won’t,” he said when he was bombarded by reporters on Capitol Hill asking if he would resign.
In a tweet Wednesday afternoon, Santos addressed Nassau Republicans and said he regretted their “refusing to work with my office to deliver results to protect our community and reduce the cost of living.”
“I will NOT resign!” he added.
The latest blow to Santos came when the embattled congressman, who was sworn into office just days before, has admitted to fabricating key elements of his personal life and is now under scrutiny from federal and local lawmakers.
Santos was caught embellishing his past and at times outright lying, including his claims that he worked on Wall Street.
Santos has apologized to anyone who is “disappointed with the CV embellishments,” but he vehemently denies committing any crimes.
As a member of Congress, Santos represents parts of Queens and Nassau Counties, a region of Long Island in New York. The Republican leadership in the House of Representatives has been quiet on Santos since he was sworn into Congress.
“Obviously he addressed some of the concerns we had. In New York they also have a lot of internal talks. But at the end of the day he sat, you know, nobody objected to that,” House Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told CNBC Wednesday morning after being asked if Santos would serve out his full two-year term will.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was blunt on Wednesday that Santos should not sit on any top committees because lawmakers have warned that Santos could pose a national security risk if used on bodies, handling sensitive information.
Santos has said he was just beautifying his resume. He insists he has committed no crimes.
The lies and embellishments he told during the election have also prompted a scrutiny by prosecutors in New York’s Eastern District investigating Santos’ finances, including possible irregularities related to financial disclosures and a $700,000+ loan , which Santos granted during his campaign for Congress during the 2022 midterm elections, according to NBC News.
The Campaign Legal Center, a bipartisan monitoring agency for campaign finance, filed an ethics complaint against Santos with the Federal Elections Commission on Monday for alleged violations of campaign finance laws. Santos told reporters that he had not done anything unethical.
Santos’ fundraising efforts during his successful run in 2022 were also based in part on some of the false claims he has made about his past. He suggested to donors that he was Jewish when he wasn’t, and falsely told people he worked at Wall Street banks, which have no record of his employment. A Santos campaign employee posed as Kevin McCarthy’s chief of staff to raise money for the campaign, CNBC and The Washington Times reported.
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