“George, if that’s even your real name, if you’re so convinced that #NY3 voters still trust you – resign & run against me again in a special election.. Face the voters with your real past & answer questions about your criminal history. Let the voters decide.”
That’s the challenge that defeated New York congressional candidate Robert Zimmerman (D) lay down on Tuesday called on his former opponent, Rep.-elect George Santos (R), to resign and run in a new election after Santos admitted to lying about his professional and educational background.
Impossible for Santos to deny the many lies that have been exposed, he still contends that he will serve out his term, arguing that he campaigned “talking about the people’s concerns, not my resume.”
In a massive understatement, the worst he will admit to is, “embellishing my resume.” He is not alone in underplaying the significance of his deceit. The GOP leadership seems to be turning a blind eye and deaf ear to the fraud.
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) is one of the few Republicans who are expressing any blame for the fraud that Santos’ perpetrated on the voter. He said on Sunday that Santos must take “huge steps” to regain public trust but thus far the accountability demanded by the GOP seems to end there for Santos.
Yet Brady also said Santos could be forgiven by the GOP for owning up to the false statements and that it wasn’t up to the party to punish Santos. In an obviously indulgent mood, Brady stated that, “We’re a country of second chances. And when you own up to this, then do what it takes to earn respect and trust again, you know, we’re willing to do that. So I’m hopeful, you know, he chooses the right path.”
Acknowledging that, “This is troubling in so many ways. Certainly, he’s lied repeatedly,” Brady suggested that Santos “certainly is going to have to consider resigning” but whether Santos opts to resign or stay in office, the decision “needs to be made between he and the voters who elected him.”
Republican Tom Zmich, who was a former New York congressional candidate, expects even less from Santos, saying that he “hasn’t done anything wrong as far as legality-wise.”
District 3 voters may not be as forgiving as Brady, Zmich or Kevin McCarthy. They are furious. .“George Santos is a fraud,” Teodora Choolfaian told CNN. “This man should not be allowed to be in office, and we all know it. I want to assure you the Republicans know it too.”
At a protest in any of his supporters held signs that read ‘liar’ and ‘don’t reward a liar’ to express their distaste for the newly-elected Congressman. As the reporter notes that the “outrage is palpable”, a protester angrily states that “George Santos is a fraud.” Another stated “people elected him based on what they thought was the true him, and that turned out not to be true.”
