Max Miller joins growing number of Republicans calling on Santos to resign
Cami Mondeaux
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Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) joined a growing number of House Republicans calling on Rep. George Santos (R-NY) to resign, making him one of the first GOP lawmakers outside of New York to urge the freshman to step down from office.
Miller specifically denounced Santos for falsely claiming to have Jewish ancestry and that his grandparents had escaped the Nazis during World War II. Santos amplified these claims on his campaign website during the midterm cycle, writing that his mother and grandparents “fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium, and again fled persecution during WWII.”
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Santos later walked back on those comments in December to clarify that he is Catholic, but argued his grandmother used to tell stories about being Jewish before converting to Catholicism — prompting him to refer to himself as “Jew-ish.”
“It is not okay to fabricate or lie for political gain,” Miller, who is one of two Jewish Republicans in the House, said in a tweet. “This is especially true when the lie seeks benefit from the murder of millions of Jewish people. I do not believe George Santos can effectively serve and should resign.”
Miller’s condemnation is notable as most of the sitting members calling on Santos to resign have been fellow freshman lawmakers from New York.
Santos has faced growing criticism from several Democrats, and even a handful of Republicans, after he admitted to fabricating several details about his professional background while running for office. A group of New York Republicans urged Santos to step down during a press conference on Wednesday, joining their Democratic counterparts who have hurled criticisms at the freshman lawmaker since last month.
However, Santos has remained adamant he has no plans to step down and even indicated he plans to run for reelection come 2024.
Santos was elected to Congress in November after defeating Democratic candidate Robert Zimmerman to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District. However, he has faced a slew of criticism since his win due to inconsistencies on his resume, with criticisms only intensifying in late December when he admitted to making false statements about his educational background, work experience, finances, and other personal details.
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Santos is also facing several investigations into his finances after it was discovered there were a number of unusual expenses on his campaign filings for the 2022 midterm cycle. Two New York Democrats, Reps. Dan Goldman and Ritchie Torres, filed a complaint to the House Ethics Committee on Tuesday, requesting the committee investigate his campaign financial disclosure reports.
Goldman and Ritchie later introduced a bill on Thursday that would require candidates to submit additional biographical information and punish those who lie about their background while running for office.