George Santos Faces Calls to Resign From Long Island GOP Leaders - The New York Times
Category: News & Politics
Via: perrie-halpern • last year • 50 commentsBy: Michael Gold and Grace Ashford (nytimes)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The rejection by Republican leaders in Nassau County is the sharpest denunciation from Mr. Santos's party, whose leaders in Washington have mostly stayed mum.The first-year Republican lawmaker, representing parts of Queens and Long Island, admitted to lying about his background, education and finances.CreditCredit...Tom Brenner for The New York Times
By Michael Gold and Grace Ashford
Jan. 11, 2023Updated 12:33 p.m. ET
WESTBURY, N.Y. — Republican officials on Long Island, including Representative Anthony D'Esposito, called on Wednesday for Representative George Santos to resign, as he faces multiple inquiries into his finances, campaign spending and fabrications on the campaign trail.
The Nassau County party chairman, Joseph G. Cairo Jr., said Mr. Santos, a first-term Republican, had lost the confidence of Republicans in his district, saying that Mr. Santos's campaign was one of "deceit, lies, fabrication."
"He's disgraced the House of Representatives, and we do not consider him one of our congresspeople," Mr. Cairo said. "Today on behalf of the Nassau County Republican committee. I am calling for his immediate resignation."
Joining via video from Washington, Mr. D'Esposito, who represents a district just to the south of Mr. Santos, said that his Republican colleague had violated the trust from "not only the voters, but people across America."
Mr. D'Esposito said he "will not associate with him in Congress and I will encourage other representatives in the House of Representatives to join me in rejecting him."
The calls for Mr. Santos's resignation mark the sharpest denunciation yet of the congressman's behavior from Republicans after reporting in The New York Times uncovered that Mr. Santos had made false claims about his educational and professional background and raised questions about his business, his financial disclosures and his campaign expenses.
They also add to the mounting pressure facing Mr. Santos, who is currently the subject of inquiries by federal and local prosecutors over whether his financial dealings or lies on the campaign trail warrant criminal charges.
This week alone, Mr. Santos, 34, has been the subject of two formal ethics complaints. On Tuesday, two Democratic lawmakers filed a formal complaint asking the House's bipartisan Committee on Ethics to investigate whether Mr. Santos ran afoul of the law when he filed his required financial disclosures late and without key details about his bank accounts and business.
A day earlier, a watchdog group, the Campaign Legal Center, called on the Federal Election Commission to investigate the congressman, accusing him of improperly using campaign funds for personal expenses, misrepresenting his spending and hiding the true sources of his campaign money.
Brazilian law enforcement officials have also said they were reviving fraud charges against Mr. Santos tied to a 2008 incident involving a stolen checkbook, after the case was disclosed in The Times's report.
Mr. Cairo's rebuke, in particular, represents a significant break between Mr. Santos and an organization that was integral in helping the congressman secure his seat, which covers a large swath of Nassau County and a much smaller section of northeast Queens.
It also marks a sharp division between local Republicans and their state and national counterparts. In the weeks since The Times's story, the House's speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has largely remained silent about the ongoing controversy, though he told a reporter for CNN that he did not expect Mr. Santos to receive assignments for choice committees.
Mr. Santos supported Mr. McCarthy in his protracted fight to become speaker last week. But Mr. McCarthy has not commented publicly on reports by CNBC and The Washington Times that someone working with Mr. Santos's campaign impersonated Mr. McCarthy's chief of staff in order to raise money from donors.
On Tuesday, the Republican majority leader, Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, said that party leadership would handle questions over Mr. Santos "internally" but acknowledged that "there were concerns" he and others wanted addressed. Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, the third-ranking House Republican, told a Spectrum News reporter that "this is going to play itself out."
Other rank-and-file Republicans have been more outspoken in their condemnations. Representative Nick LaLota, another first-term lawmaker representing parts of Long Island, called for a House ethics investigation last month. Representative Anthony D'Esposito, whose district includes parts of Nassau County, told NBC News on Tuesday that he supported an ethics investigation as well.
On Tuesday, Representative Dusty Johnson of South Dakota told CNN that he did not believe Mr. Santos should be seated on House committees "until we had a deeper understanding of exactly what went on in his campaign."
After Mr. Santos admitted to The New York Post that he had lied about parts of his background, Mr. Cairo said he was "deeply disappointed" in what he called Mr. Santos's "blanket apology."
Days later, Mr. Cairo said the Nassau County committee would not support Mr. Santos if he were to run again for his seat in 2024, but he still stopped short of calling on Mr. Santos to step down.
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I don't usually post political articles, but I did this one because Santos is my rep and because it shows that party loyal can do the right thing. He needs to go.
He's not going anywhere. McCarthy is giving him committee assignments.
You can be an utter fraud and be a GOP politician in good standing. Thank MAGA for that.
That is NOT TRUE!
He needs to go and be replaced by a moderate Republican
moderate republicans went extinct...
santos won't be going anywhere. he represents freedom caucus values too perfectly.
I totally agree. I'm glad to see Long Islands republicans taking the lead on this without excuses.
Can they force him to resign?
I think they can.
Didn't they do that to Al Franken? Or did he just succumb to the pressure?
Oh dear, God...he's your congress critter? I'm sorry
Yeah, me too.
If he needs to go then so does Biden.
Btw we had all kinds of gymnastics to keep this same story trending for three weeks.
It isn't a news story!
Only because you don't want it to be...
I see you just want to make excuses about it.
Give me a break.
Maybe you missed today's press conference from Long Island. This is news as long as he remains.
Why not? They lie in the exact same way. Biden & cornpop? Him going to jail for Mandela? Where do I begin?
Maybe you missed today's press conference from Long Island.
I did miss it.
This is news as long as he remains.
Ok.
Yep. Where else can someone completely fabricate everything about their life and still have a job...
I don't think there is one aspect he didn't lie about.
Is this the same person that stuck up for trump for years on end? Then complain about Biden....
Comical.
It's beyond lying. It's also about 700K that he has not disclosed. It's every aspect of his candidacy.
As Biden's mentor once said: "Elections have consequences!"
How did the democrats not vet him?
Where was the New York Times?
Why is Vic even commenting on this seed if he doesn't think it's a news story? [Deleted]
It's hypocritical is what it is
It's amazing. Democrats lying about their background/education/business dealings/ sexually assaulting someone/ or mishandling classified information always end up on the "it's perfectly okay" side of the line while Republicans are inevitably put across the line and have to resign or go to jail.
Amazing coincidence how these lines always get drawn by progressives to their partisan advantage.
Well, you see, there are a few things that had to be said. One was correcting the false statement that Santos would be given a Committee assignment. That has already been ruled out. The other thing is that Santos is defiant about ever resigning.
For the record.
So I guess you are proud to have him in your ranks...
So I guess you are proud of Joe and Hunter and Hillary etc etc.
could you miss the point by more?
I already said he should resign.
Look squirrel ---->
So Vic is the only one sticking up for him then?
It's incredible. There is only one person who can get Santos to resign: The Speaker, and since this is obviously all about House votes, McCarthy will do the same thing that Pelosi would do. Unless Santos committed a criminal act: he stays.
Look:
So in your estimation he is a stand up guy?
Tell us from your own mouth instead of dancing around it.
Even he can't do that. He was elected. He can't be denied a seat by anyone. Per the Supreme Court, . "In judging the qualifications of its members under Art. I, § 5, Congress is limited to the standing qualifications expressly prescribed by the Constitution."
I stand corrected.
So unless they can dig up something criminal, Santos stays.
"New York GOP Rep. George Santos said Wednesday that he will not resign despite calls from party leaders from Nassau County, N.Y., over his largely fabricated life resume that help him win office last November. "
https://justthenews.com/government/congress/gop-rep-george-santos-refuses-resign-despite-calls-new-york-republican-leaders?utm_source=sf&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=twjs
Brandon is that you?
Same as those that screamed about Trump lying; and then ignore Brandon's never ending lies.
“So unless they can dig up something criminal, Santos stays.”
Remember this when the impending and imperious impeachment hearings commence.
Where were you during the Democrats' two impeachment hearings of Trump?
Watching intently…given actual evidence of malfeasance.
Who's gonna impeach Santos? The U.S. House of Representatives?
I believe the New York AG is looking into Santos but I don't know if they have opened an official investigation. I think about the only thing they could prosecute for would be if he hid campaign contributions or played games with the money, but doesn't campaign finance issues normally result in fines? So I suspect that Santos is in the House for the next two years. Wouldn't bet a plug nickel on his re-election chances however..
Actually in reading thru Article 1 Section 5 Clause 2, I believe the House can expel Santos. It would require a 2/3rd vote of the Chamber to do so.
.
However due to the small number of Republicans in the House and that to replace Santos would entail a special election with no guarantee that a Republican would win that special election I doubt if the House will expel him.
You made have something in that case.
“He needs to go.”
If we can agree that we hold elected officials to a standard that we expect from our children, we would all be better served.
You wouldn't have any elected officials then.
He should. But why would a grifter give up a paycheck?
Lots of those grifters occupy Democrat seats.
Well, if you ask me more reps from both parties are grifters. The job creates that.
That we can agree upon. If they aren't corrupt before they hit the DC cesspool- they are quickly converted after they arrive. "Take the money and shut up!"