Calling GOP Rep. George Santos a joke, a shame, irregular and a pathological liar, native Republican officers in New York state on Wednesday mentioned the newly elected congressman wanted to right away resign, saying he ran a marketing campaign of “deceit and lies.”
But Santos has refused, doubling down on his intent to remain in Congress concurrently his fellow Republicans in Long Island have urged him to step down.
“George Santos’ campaign last year was a campaign of deceit, lies and fabrication,” Nassau County Republican Party Chairman Joseph Cairo mentioned at a press convention.
“He deceived the voters of the 3rd Congressional District, he deceived members of the Nassau County Republican committee, elected officials, his colleagues, candidates, his opponents and even some of the media,” Cairo mentioned. “He’s disgraced the House of Representatives and we do not consider him one of our congresspeople.”
Cairo’s searing remarks have been the primary in a parade of greater than a dozen Republican officers from round Santos’ district, every of whom referred to as on the brand new lawmaker to surrender his seat.
“He’s a national joke, he’s an international joke, but this joke’s gotta go,” mentioned Town of Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin.
Other audio system referred to as him a “stain” on the get together who has acted like a “pathological liar.”
As his state allies deserted him, Santos sounded defiant in Washington, D.C.
“I will not,” he mentioned when bombarded by reporters on Capitol Hill asking if he’ll resign.
In a tweet Wednesday afternoon, Santos swung again on the Nassau Republicans, saying he regrets that they “refuse to work with my office to deliver results to keep our community safe and lower the cost of living.”
“I will NOT resign!” he added.
The newest blow to Santos got here because the embattled freshman congressman, who was sworn into workplace simply days earlier, has admitted making up key components of his private life, and is now beneath scrutiny by federal and native lawmakers.
Nassau County Republican Party chairman Joseph Cairo and members of the Nassau County Republican Committee maintain a news convention concerning the way forward for U.S. Representative George Santos (R-NY) at Nassau County Republican Committee in Westbury, New York, U.S. January 11, 2023.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Santos has been caught embellishing and, at occasions, outright mendacity, about his previous, together with his claims that he labored on Wall Street.
Santos has apologized to anybody “disappointed by resume embellishments,” however he vehemently denies committing any crimes.
As a member of Congress, Santos represents elements of Queens and Nassau County, a area of Long Island in New York. House Republican management have been quiet concerning Santos since he is been sworn into Congress.
“Obviously, he’s addressed some of the concerns that we’ve had. In New York, they’re having a lot of internal conversations too. But at the end of the day, you know, he was seated, nobody objected to him being seated,” House Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., instructed CNBC on Wednesday morning after being requested whether or not Santos will serve his full two-year time period.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., mentioned bluntly on Wednesday that Santos shouldn’t be seated on any prime committees, as lawmakers have warned Santos may pose a nationwide safety threat if positioned on panels that deal with delicate data.
Santos has mentioned that each one he is responsible of is embellishing his resume. He insists he has dedicated no crimes.
The lies and elaborations he instructed through the election have additionally led to scrutiny from prosecutors within the Eastern District of New York who’re inspecting Santos’ funds, together with potential irregularities involving monetary disclosures and an over $700,000 mortgage Santos made to his marketing campaign whereas he was operating for Congress through the 2022 midterms, based on NBC News.
The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan marketing campaign finance watchdog, filed an ethics criticism with the Federal Election Commission towards Santos on Monday for allegedly violating marketing campaign finance legal guidelines. Santos instructed reporters that he is achieved nothing unethical.
Santos’ fundraising efforts throughout his profitable 2022 run was additionally based mostly, partly, on a few of the false claims he is made about his previous. He would counsel to donors that he was Jewish when he was not and falsely instructed folks he labored at Wall Street banks that do not have any report of his employment. A Santos marketing campaign staffer impersonated as Kevin McCarthy’s chief of workers so as to elevate cash for the marketing campaign, CNBC and The Washington Times reported.