Rep. George Santos (R-NY) posted a defiant message to Twitter on Wednesday after The Nassau County Republican Committee and other local elected GOP officials from New York called on Santos to immediately resign from office for breaking public trust.
Santos, who defeated Democratic candidate Robert Zimmerman during the 2022 midterm elections, has repeatedly been accused of misrepresenting himself on the campaign trail.
“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,” Santos posted online. “I will NOT resign!”
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 further responded to criticism, telling former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), “Go on [CNN] and cry about it,” after Kinzinger told Santos to “Resign now.”
Go on @CNN and cry about it https://t.co/2FNmnc0W6n pic.twitter.com/ppMghdn0ao
— George Santos (@Santos4Congress) January 11, 2023
Earlier in the day, the embattled Republican similarly told ABC News reporter Rachel Scott he would not resign.
🚨Rep. George Santos tells @rachelvscott and me he will NOT resign pic.twitter.com/vBMvotq3Y0
— Lalee Ibssa (@LaleeIbssa) January 11, 2023
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose reaction to the Santos news was watched closely, told CNN on Wednesday that it’s the voters’ decision on whether the freshman Republican stays or goes.
“Kevin McCarthy won’t join NY GOP leaders who are calling on Santos to resign. Says it’s up to the voters,” CNN’s Manu Raju reported.
“He has to answer to the voters,” McCarthy reportedly said.
“If Santos were to resign, it would set up a special election in a NY district that could flip to the Democrats,” Raju noted.
Kevin McCarthy won’t join NY GOP leaders who are calling on Santos to resign. Says it’s up to the voters. “He has to answer to the voters,” he told reporters. If Santos were to resign, it would set up a special election in a NY district that could flip to the Democrats
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 11, 2023
During a press conference on Wednesday morning, Nassau County GOP Chairman Joseph Cairo said the Santos campaign was one of “deceit, lies, and fabrication,” adding that the freshman congressman has “disgraced the House of Representatives” and is no longer welcome at the Nassau County Republican Committee.
Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, representing New York’s 4th congressional district, also called on Santos to resign.
Further, two New York House Democrats filed a complaint Tuesday urging the Ethics Committee to open an investigation into Santos allegedly failing to file timely and accurate financial disclosure reports, according to The Hill.
Santos, who ran as openly gay, has been accused of omitting a past marriage to a woman. The GOP congressman also declared in his campaign biography that he worked at the Wall Street firms Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, but both companies told CNN and The New York Times that they have no record of him working there.
In another unconfirmed aspect of the congressman’s past, Santos said that he founded and ran a charity called “Friends of Pets United.” CNN reported that a search showed that there appears to be no record of the non-profit organization, according to the IRS.
There’s also a question concerning Santos involving his claimed Jewish ancestry. The Forward reported last month that the congressman lied when he said that his grandparents fled anti-Jewish persecution during World War II. Instead, a genealogical search showed his mother’s parents were born in Brazil instead of Ukraine or Belgium, as his campaign website asserted, according to The Forward.
Dillon Burroughs contributed to this report.
Related: NY Republicans Call On ‘Disgraced’ Rep. George Santos To Resign: ‘He’s Not Welcome Here’