Santos vows to step down if all his 142,000 voters tell him to
Both Democrats and Republicans asked Republican Representative George Santos to step down after he admitted to lying on his resume, but despite the backlash, the lawmaker has refused to.
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Santos during a leadership vote in the House chamber on Jan. 3 (Reuters)
Republican Representative George Santos, 34, has been criticized by fellow Republicans who are calling on him to resign after he admitted to lying about his resume. Santos fabricated key details of his life including his education, work experience, and even his religion and ancestry.
Both Democrats and Republicans asked him to step down after he admitted to lying on his resume, but despite the backlash, the lawmaker has refused to stand down - at least not until every last of the 142,000 voters calls on him to step down.
After being sworn in on Saturday, Santos swore his political “commitment” during an interview with Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) on Bannon’s “War Room” program.
"It's their prerogative," Santos told Gaetz, referring to colleagues who have asked him to step down. "I came here to serve the people, not politicians and party leaders, and I'm going to do just that."
"I wish well all of their opinions, but I was elected by 142,000 people. Until those same 142,000 people tell me they don't want me - we'll find out in two years," he added.
I was elected to serve the people of #NY03 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.
— George Santos (@Santos4Congress) January 11, 2023
I will NOT resign!
Santos deceived the Nassau County Republican Committee in 2020 into believing he was a Baruch College alumnus who graduated in the top one percent of his class before going on to earn an MBA at New York University.
He also falsely claimed to have worked as a project manager at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. On the campaign trail, he made up a story and claimed to have Jewish ancestors. The committee called Santos a "serial liar" on Wednesday and demanded that he resign from Congress.
When Matt Gaetz (R-FL) asked Santos where the $700,000 he gave to his campaign originated from, Santos refused to answer.
Read next: The Hill: Santos’s finances, financial disclosures to be probed.
“He answered the questions — obviously not truthfully — but at that time we trusted him,” Joseph G. Cairo Jr., the committee chairman, told reporters at a news conference, vowing to put in place a more rigorous vetting process, “We were duped here.”
"I don't think there's any way he can possibly perform his duties, and the man's got to be honest with himself and his constituents," Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) told reporters on Thursday.
However, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who struggled to secure his position until the 15th round of voting, spoke of Santos saying “Is there a charge against him? You know, in America today, you’re innocent until proven guilty.”
According to the New York Times, two Democrats from New York filed an official complaint with the House Committee on Ethics on Tuesday, asking the committee to investigate Santos and focus on his financial disclosures, which were filed late and with missing key details.
