Republican Representative George Santos has faced calls to step down this week, just days after assuming office, amid ongoing criticism of the fact he misrepresented his personal biography.
The 34-year-old admitted embellishing details about himself in an interview with the New York Post in December, and some Republicans are now calling for Santos to resign less than two months after his November election victory in New York's 3rd congressional district.
"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 tweeted on Wednesday. "I will NOT resign!"
Here is a timeline of events leading to calls for his resignation.
Election and The New York Times Accusations
Santos won election to Congress for New York's 3rd district in the 2022 midterm elections, defeating Democrat Robert Zimmerman and flipping the district red.
The race did not receive much national media coverage at the time, but on December 19, The New York Times published an article questioning Santos' resumé and arguing that it was "largely fictional."
An attorney for Santos accused The New York Times of trying to "smear" the then-congressman-elect.
Admissions to the New York Post
Santos gave an interview to the New York Post, which was published on December 26, and admitted to "embellishing" his résumé.
He told the newspaper that he did not in fact graduate from college, had not worked directly for Goldman Sachs, and did not own 13 properties, among other clarifications.
He also said that he did not have a criminal record in Brazil, in response to an allegation made by The New York Times that a criminal charge had been filed against him in that country.
Democrats called for Santos to resign as soon as possible and criticized Republicans for seating him when the new Congress met on January 3.
Ethics Complaints and Investigations
A number of probes have now been opened against Santos at federal, state and county levels.
The New York attorney general's office said it would review the issues raised about Santos on December 22. The U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York and the district attorney for Nassau County are also looking into Santos, according to an NBC News report in late December.
On January 2, 2023, authorities in Brazil announced that they would reopen a fraud case against Santos because his whereabouts had now been identified. That case relates to an incident involving a stolen checkbook in 2008.
On Monday, the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) said that it had filed a complaint against Santos to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for what it called a "tasting menu of campaign finance law violations."
On Tuesday, two Democratic members of the House filed an ethics complaint against Santos with the House Ethics Committee seeking an investigation related to Santos' financial disclosure reports.
Republicans Call for Santos' Resignation
Santos took his seat in Congress on January 3 and participated the election of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, but he's now facing criticism from members of his own party, some of whom have said he should resign.
"He deceived the voters of the Third Congressional District, he deceived the members of the Nassau County Republican Committee, elected officials, his colleagues, candidates, his opponents, and even some of the media," Nassau County Republican chairman Joseph Cairo said in a Wednesday press conference.
Cairo is calling on Santos to resign his seat, while Republican Representative Anthony D'Esposito of New York's 4th district became the first GOP member of the House to urge Santos to step down.
"George Santos does not have the ability to serve here in the House of Representatives, and should resign," D'Esposito said on Wednesday.
Republican Representative Nancy Mace told CNN on Wednesday that Santos should resign and added that he could face a federal probe with regard to his campaign finances.
"This is an individual that fabricated their entire life story, their entire résumé, to get elected. If you want to talk about election fraud, then we could look no further than New York's third congressional district right now," Mace said.
Speaker McCarthy has not said whether he believes Santos should resign, but he said on Wednesday that he would not be seated on top House committees.
Newsweek has reached out to Santos' office for comment on calls for him to resign.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more
