Nassau County New York GOPers Call On Santos To Resign
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 03: Incoming U.S. Rep. George Santon (R-NY) waits as fellow Representatives cast their votes for Speaker of the House on the first day of the 118th Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. C... WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 03: Incoming U.S. Rep. George Santon (R-NY) waits as fellow Representatives cast their votes for Speaker of the House on the first day of the 118th Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 03, 2023 in Washington, DC. Santos is facing scrutiny for lies he told about his personal and professional background during his campaign. Today members of the 118th Congress will be sworn-in and the House of Representatives will elect a new Speaker of the House. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Nassau County Republican leaders have called on Rep. George Santos to resign on Wednesday morning for falsifying his resumé while campaigning to become the representative for New York's 3rd Congressional District.
A spokesman told POLITICO that the local GOP will "issue a rebuke of him for running as a complete liar in an effort to resuscitate the image of the party."
At a press conference at the Nassau County Republican Committee headquarters, party officials led by Chairman Joseph Cairo, Jr., called for Santos to resign for touting what one official called "lies, not embellishments."
"His lies were not mere fibs," Cairo said, kicking off the presser. "Many groups were hurt. Specifically, I look at those families that were touched by the horrors of the Holocaust and feel for them," he continued, referring to Santos's now-debunked claim that he had Jewish ancestors who migrated to Brazil to escape the tragedy.
Jennifer Desena, town supervisor for North Hempstead, N.Y., claimed on the podium that Santos lied to her face to gain her endorsement. "He has betrayed the public's trust and given insincere, glib, and insulting answers when asked legitimate questions about his finances and his background," she said.
"The longer he remains in office," she continued, "the longer the residents of the third congressional district will suffer."
Officials told reporters that they'll be updating their vetting process to reflect the gaps Santos exposed with his falsehoods.
"Our vetting process has to go much deeper," Cairo told reporters. "We have to really investigate background now. It's sad but it's true."
They also said that they'll pass their recommendation off to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
"As far as Speaker McCarthy, I have no spoken to him," Cairo said, "but all of our candidates from last year, our elected officials have all spoken unified today that we are calling for his resignation and we will obviously pass that on to the speaker."
Other New York political leaders have chimed in to call for Santos's resignation as well. Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY) offered his thoughts to the presser virtually: "It has become clear that Congressman George Santos' many hurtful lies and mistruths surrounding his history have irreparably broken the trust of the residents he is sworn to serve," he said. "For his betrayal of the public's trust, I call on Congressman George Santos to resign."
The New York State Conservative Party aligned with Nassau County's GOP in a statement. "Mr. Santos's profound use of mistruths as a candidate morally disqualifies him from serving in public office and exposes him to potential legal action, seriously compromising his ability to represent his constituents," party chairman Gerard Kassar said. "It is my hope, and the hope of Nassau County Conservative Chairman Daniel M. Donovan, that Mr. Santos will voluntarily tender his resignation out of respect for the public and the institution to which he was elected under false pretenses."
Meanwhile in Congress, Santos told a swarm of reporters that he will not resign.
NEW: George Santos tells me he will NOT resign w/ @LaleeIbssa pic.twitter.com/d5rvHObxoA
— Rachel Scott (@rachelvscott) January 11, 2023
He followed up the brief interview with a tweet:
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.
I will NOT resign!
— George Santos (@Santos4Congress) January 11, 2023
Santos has also drawn attention from federal and local prosecutors, including Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly who said that her office is exploring the "numerous fabrications and inconsistencies" the freshman congressman dispersed throughout his campaign. "No one is above the law," she said in a statement back in December, "and if a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it."
Kaila Philo is an investigative reporter at Talking Points Memo. Previously, she was the Government and Political Institutions Reporter at Grid News and the Justice Department correspondent for Courthouse News Service. Her work on politics and the justice system has also appeared in Politico, VIce News, and The Atlantic.
George SantosNew YorkNew York Republicans