Nassau GOP To LI Rep. George Santos: 'Immediately Resign'

WESTBURY, NY — The Nassau County GOP called for LI congressman George Santos to resign on Wednesday, the first time local Republicans have officially denounced the embattled politician.

"George Santos' campaign last year, in 2022, was a campaign of deceit, lies and fabrication," Joseph Cairo, the chair of the Nassau County Republican Committee said at the committee headquarters in Westbury.

Cairo said Santos is not welcome there in the future and said "We do not consider him one of our congresspeople."

Santos admitted to lying about his work, education and is accused of lying about his Jewish heritage, involvement in national tragedies, his finances and on his campaign disclosures, multiple reports said.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman called Santos "a stain" on the 3rd Congressional District, and said he will have "no interaction with Santos or his staff until he resigns."

Blakeman 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. He 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.

Santos told ABC Capitol Hill reporter Rachel Scott after the Nassau GOP news conference that he "will not" resign.

NEW: George Santos tells me he will NOT resign w/ @LaleeIbssa pic.twitter.com/d5rvHObxoA
— Rachel Scott (@rachelvscott) January 11, 2023

The Nassau Republican Committee endorsed Santos during his 2022 campaign for the 3rd Congressional District, spanning Northern Nassau and parts of Queens and central Nassau. On Friday, a Newsday analysis showed that donors to Santos’ federal committees, along with the Rise NY PAC, run by Santos' sister, gave money directly to the Nassau County Republican Committee federal account.

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.

A 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.