George Santos Claims He Will Resign If 142,000 People Ask Him To

Author: Christopher Wiggins

New York’s embattled gay fabulist Congressman, Rep. George Santos, indicated to reporters that he would resign if 142,000 people asked him to.

Santos remarked while aides attempted to shield him from the press assembled outside his office and ushered him into an elevator, NBC News reports.

Reporters were shouting questions at Santos, who ignored most of them as he took the short walk to the elevators.

“If the voters ask for you to resign, will you?” one of the reporters asked.

Santos, seemingly exasperated and smug, replied as the elevator doors were closing. “If 142 people ask for me to resign, I’ll resign,” Santos said. 

Joined by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida on Steve Bannon’s War Room, Santos clarified that he meant 142,000 voters who elected him in November. In his words, Santos said he would be in Congress until “those same 142,000 people tell me they don’t want me.”

Santos earned 142,017 votes in the midterm election 

Robert Zimmerman, the Democratic opponent in that race, lost, having earned 120,060 votes.

Later, as Santos returned to his office, he said, “I will not resign. I will be continuing to hold my office elected by the people,” Reuters reports.

The number of Republicans upset with the developments surrounding Santos has been increasing over a few days. 

On Wednesday, members of the Nassau County Republican Committee rejected him as their representative and declared him unwelcome at the local Republican party headquarters. The chairman led several local elected representatives in calling on Santos to resign.

Thursday morning, Democratic leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York challenged Republicans to “Clean up your house” during his weekly press conference when asked about Santos.

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has said he stands by Santos and would not call for his resignation. 

“I try to stick by the Constitution,” McCarthy said this week. “The voters elected him to serve. If there is a concern, he has to go through the Ethics [Committee]; let him move through that. 

The Republican speaker continued, “Right now, the voters have a voice in the decision. It’s not where people pick and choose based upon what somebody’s press has. So he will continue to serve.”

McCarthy needed Santos’s support to be elected to the speakership; support Santos gave the California congressman 15 times until he won the job.

Santos’s office did not respond to The Advocate’s request for comment.

Original Article on The Advocate
Author: Christopher Wiggins