George Santos clarifies: Embattled freshman won’t resign if ’142 people’ ask him to
Virginia Aabram
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Freshman Rep. George Santos (R-NY) said on Thursday morning that he’ll resign if “142 people” ask him to as he faces scrutiny for fabricating elements of his resume and personal life.
Santos clarified later that day that his remarks to reporters were referring to the “142,000 voters who voted for me,” with the closing elevator doors cutting him off as he rushed past the media. Santos has been adamant that he won’t resign as more of his fellow members of the Republican Party suggest that he should step down.
GEORGE SANTOS REFUSES TO STEP DOWN AFTER NEW YORK REPUBLICANS CALL FOR ‘IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION’
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The Nassau County Republican Committee, which backed his candidacy, called for him to resign Wednesday, as did New York House Republicans such as Nick LaLota and Brandon Williams. On Thursday, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) came out against Santos as well.
“It is clear that George Santos has lost the confidence and support of his party, his constituents, and his colleagues,” Lawler said in a statement. “With the extent and severity of the allegations against him, his inability to take full responsibility for his conduct, and the numerous investigations underway, I believe he is unable to fulfill his duties and should resign.”
Santos remained defiant on ex-Trump administration official Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast on Thursday.
“I’ve worked my entire life, I’ve lived an honest life, I’ve never been accused, sued, of any bad doings,” Santos told Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on the podcast, pivoting away from Gaetz’s question about the source of $700,000 he lent his campaign.
Santos won a competitive new district in New York in 2022, and should he resign, a vacancy and subsequent special election could very well end with another seat for the Democrats and an even slimmer majority for the House GOP. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said he would receive committee assignments but not be placed on any top committees.
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The controversy surrounding Santos has led to talk of his expulsion from Congress. Expelling a member of Congress requires a two-thirds vote of the House, a step that has only been taken five times in history: three during the Civil War for members who joined the Confederacy and two times since for members convicted of felonies. Santos has not been charged with a crime but faces an ethics investigation and a fraud investigation in Brazil.
The list of Santos’s alleged falsehoods spans his education and employment history, as well as his family background. Baruch College, New York University, and Goldman Sachs have no records that he attended or worked for them despite his claims otherwise, and investigations were unable to turn up evidence he had family that escaped the Holocaust, as he’s previously stated. He’s also facing questions about his handling of campaign finances.