"I will not resign," said Congressman George Santos.
"Well, the spectacle that is George Santos speaks for itself," said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.
Calls from New York colleagues for newly minted Congressman George Santos to resign are getting louder.
"Everything about him is fictional. The people that voted in that election voted thinking he is somebody he is not. How can we have that in our political system? Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican — it’s an insult to have someone like that in the House when he’s a fraud," said Rep. Gregory Meeks.
As more lies continue to come out it's not just Democrats like Rep. Meeks who say Santos is not fit to serve.
New York Republican Congressmen Marc Molinaro, Mike Lawler and Anthony D’Esposito also say he should step aside. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman says Congressman D’Esposito has agreed to help out with issues related to Nassau County — part of Santos’ district.
"I am not going to have any contact whatsoever with George Santos or his office, because I can't trust him. And I'm not going to deal with an elected official that I can't trust," said Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County executive.
Members of the county’s GOP, the very people who vetted him, are calling on him to quit.
"He is not welcome here at Republican headquarters for meetings or at any of our events. As I said, he has disgraced the House of Representatives, and we do not consider him one of our Congresspeople," said Joseph Cairo, chairman of the Nassau County GOP.
Rep. Santos refuses to resign following calls from NY Republicans
Republican leaders called for New York Rep. George Santos to immediately step down following accusations he lied about his past.
House Democrats have filed an Ethics Committee Complaint against Santos specifically about his financial disclosures. He was asked about those concerns Thursday, but still didn’t seem to have a clear response.
"It didn't come from China, Ukraine or Burisma, that's what I can tell you," Santos said.
Santos reiterated he has no plans to step down. And he does have some powerful people sticking by him — including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
"He's got a long way to go to earn trust. He'll go before [the Ethics Committee]. If anything is found to be wrong, he will be held accountable," McCarthy said.
McCarthy did also say Santos will not have a top security clearance.
The Queens County GOP Chair, who's also part of Santos’ district, is sticking by him too.
"I don’t see anything illegal or hear anything illegal, and people that are chasing him are people that want that seat," said chairman Tony Nunziato.
Two of Santos’s New York colleagues say they’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen in the future. Congressmen Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman are introducing legislation that would require candidates for Congress to file biographical information with the Federal Elections Commission. It’s unlikely the Republican-led House would take it up. Santos is also facing a number of investigations in New York state.
