The Nassau County GOP called for LI congressman George Santos to resign immediately on Wednesday, the first time local Republicans have officially denounced the embattled politician.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman called him a “stain on our district” and said he will have “no interaction with Santos or his staff until he resigns.”
Joseph Cairo, the chair of the Nassau County Republican Committee, said at the committee headquarters in Westbury, that Santos is not welcome there in the future and said, “We do not consider him one of our congresspeople.”
NEW: George Santos tells me he will NOT resign w/ @LaleeIbssa pic.twitter.com/d5rvHObxoA
— Rachel Scott (@rachelvscott) January 11, 2023
After admitting to have lied about his work, education, his Jewish heritage, involvement in national tragedies, and his finances, Santos still insists that he has been elected by the people and will not resign, but the Nassau County GOP’s latest move amounts to total repudiation.
Newly-elected Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has supported Santos thus far, saying that, “The voters elected him to serve” but Blakeman has short circuited Santos’ attempt to fill the position that he won fraudulently, and said he will refer all constituents that call his office to Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who represents the 4th Congressional District in Southern Nassau County.
D’Esposito, a Republican, joined the Nassau GOP via a video call from Washington, D.C. and said he will not associate with Santos in Congress.
State senator Jack Martins echoed the calls for Santos to resign and said he will join his fellow Nassau Republicans in refusing to work with him.
“These aren’t embellishments. These are lies, and George Santos is a fraud.”
Other LI Republican lawmakers called for investigations into Santos weeks ago: Rep. Nick LaLota said he wanted to see the House ethics committee, and if necessary, law enforcement, look into Santos.
Although national GOP leadership has stayed silent since a bombshell New York Times report found most of the 34-year-old freshman congressman’s resume and biography was fabricated, individual House Republicans began to speak out against him this week.
Dusty Johnson, a South Dakota Republican told CBS New York “I don’t think George Santos should be seated on committees until there’s been a full ethics investigation.”
A letter signed by four Democrats, all military veterans, with national security committee experience urged House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to block Santos’ access to classified information. A copy of the letter was obtained by Politico on Tuesday.
“Mr. Santos has exhibited, time and time again, that the American people cannot trust him, and the voters who once placed their trust in him were deceived,” the letter stated.
“We cannot put our nation at risk by allowing Mr. Santos to sustain access to classified information or appointment to any Congressional Committee that may require this information.”
This week, more damning developments in the Santos scandal surfaced. On Monday, CNBC reported that a Santos staffer impersonated now Speaker McCarthy’s chief of staff to wealthy donors during his campaign.
On Tuesday, two New York congressmen hand-delivered a complaint asking for a House ethics investigation into Santos’ campaign disclosures to the embattled congressman’s office. A Monday Federal Elections Committee complaint alleged Santos illegally funneled money into his campaign and deliberately filed misleading campaign spending disclosures.
On Tuesday, Patch reported that more of Santos’ former friends and roommates allege that he stole from them over a period of several years before his first run for Congress in 2020.
