Two weeks after acknowledging that he lied about his education and work experience during the last legislative campaign, New York Representative-elect George Santos is being pressured to resign from office. Republicans in Nassau, his own county, organized a press conference to demand that he step down from his seat, accusing him of fraud. However, the 34-year-old congressman stands firm.
The chairman of the Republican Party in Nassau, Joseph Cairo, together with a group of New York State legislators, assured that Santos is "no longer welcome" and that "he has disgraced the House of Representatives." "We don't consider him one of our congressmen," he added.
Nassau County Republican Chair Joseph Cairo calls for Rep. George Santos’ (R-NY) “immediate” resignation:
“He’s not welcome here at Republican headquarters … He’s disgraced the House of Representatives, and we do not consider him one of our Congress people.” pic.twitter.com/fgK4t1lzC0
— The Recount (@therecount) January 11, 2023
Republican Representative Anthony D'Esposito publicly called for Santos' resignation for having "irreparably broken the trust" of the voters. He posted a statement on social media that said:
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. For his betrayal of the public's trust, I call on Congressman George Santos to resign.
My statement on George Santos. pic.twitter.com/NrrpFnwctq
— Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (@RepDesposito) January 11, 2023
Santos' uncompromising stance
Despite the lack of support from members of his own party, Santos remains firm and refuses to resign. While the press conference demanding his resignation was taking place, the congressman posted on Twitter that he was elected to serve New Yorkers and not "the party" or "politicians."
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
Lies throughout his campaign
The 34-year-old congressman lied about his academic background. At first, he said that in 2010 he had graduated from Baruch University. However, after a series of investigations into his past, he ended up admitting that doesn't have an undergraduate degree.
I did not graduate from any institution of higher education. I am embarrassed and sorry for embellishing my résumé.
As for his work experience, he said he had worked for two major companies, Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, but this was not the case. Santos explained that he did not actually work "directly" for the companies, but for an organization that did business with them. The legislator excused himself by saying that he had made a "bad choice of words."
