The Nassau County Republican Party called on Wednesday for Rep. George Santos (R-NY) to resign after he apparently misled constituents and lied about his personal life.
This comes after Democratic representatives Tuesday filed a complaint with the House Ethics Committee because of Santos’ financial disclosure reports.
Santos has indicated that he has no intentions of resigning.
“Today, on behalf of the Nassau County Republican Committee, I’m calling for his immediate resignation,” Joseph G. Cairo, chairman of the committee, said in a statement while flanked by local party representatives at a press conference on Long Island.
“He deceived voters. His lies were not mere fibs. He disgraced the House of Representatives. … He’s not welcome here at Republican headquarters.”
When asked why the party had backed Santos in 2020 and again in 2022, Cairo acknowledged that the vetting process was deficient, but noted that Santos had been vouched for by the party in Queens, reported CNN.
“He was not someone that we knew,” Cairo said. “We trusted him and shame on us for doing that.”
“How do you deal with someone who is an out-and-out liar? And I couldn’t stomach doing that anymore,” said Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. “He’s basically confessed. He needs help. This is not a normal person.”
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) attended remotely from Washington D.C. and also called for Santos’ resignation.
The Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint Monday with the Federal Election Commission against Santos, accusing him of concealing the source of more than $700,000 used to pay for personal expenses. Santos’ personal finances are under investigation by federal prosecutors in New York.
The New York Times first reported that much of Santos’ public resume, including his attending Baruch College and working for Goldman Sachs, turned out not to be true. Cairo, detailing the deception, alleged that Santos once “told me he was a star on the Baruch [College] volleyball team.”
Eventually, Santos admitted that he had misrepresented himself as being employed by Goldman Sachs and Citigroup but insisted he had not committed any crimes by lying.
Asked whether he would resign, Santos told reporters, “I will not,” as he entered an elevator in the Capitol on Wednesday.
Republican leaders in the House of Representatives, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, have not offered an opinion on whether Santos should resign.
“I was elected to serve the people of [New York’s 3rd Congressional District], not the party & politicians, I remain committed to doing that and regret to hear that local officials refuse to work with my office to deliver results to keep our community safe and lower the cost of living. I will NOT resign!” Santos tweeted late Wednesday evening.
If Santos does resign, a special election will follow in a district won by Biden in 2020, potentially narrowing the Republican Party’s already thin margin in the House of Representatives.
