New York House Republicans reiterated their calls for Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) to resign following a revised federal criminal indictment on Tuesday evening that includes even more allegations against the freshman lawmaker. And some of Santos’ colleagues are also considering demanding the New York Republican be expelled from Congress.
“He’s a terrible human being,” Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) said of Santos. “He does not deserve to be in the House of Representatives. He deserves to be in a federal prison. And I think the issue of expulsion is going to be something that a lot of my colleagues are going to talk about.”
New York GOP Reps. Marc Molinaro, Mike Lawler and Anthony D’Esposito also told reporters they’re still calling on Santos to resign.
Prosecutors in New York unsealed a new, 23-count superseding indictment against Santos on Tuesday. The indictment alleges Santos stole the identities of his campaign donors and charged thousands of dollars to their credit cards.
Leaving the closed-door House GOP speaker forum Tuesday evening, Santos told reporters he had no comment on the indictment and hadn’t checked his phone to receive an update.
Of course, many of Santos’ GOP colleagues had first called on the freshman to resign earlier this year when Santos was initially indicted on fraud charges.
But those Republicans didn’t back a resolution by House Democrats seeking to expel Santos in May. Instead, Republicans voted to refer the resolution to the House Ethics Committee.
The Ethics panel is still conducting its investigation into Santos’ alleged misdeeds. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said he would wait for the probe to conclude before taking action.
The political reality here is obviously complicated. Republicans currently only have a four-seat majority. GOP leaders have previously resisted calls to boot Santos and give Democrats a real chance at winning back the seat this Congress.
In related news, former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi announced earlier Tuesday he plans to challenge Santos in 2024. Suozzi first has to get through a crowded Democratic primary.
— Max Cohen and Heather Caygle
