Shortly after Nassau County Republican leaders urged Congressman George Santos to resign amid the controversy surrounding the lies he told throughout his campaign, Queens County GOP Chairman Tony Nunziato said Wednesday he would not be calling for Santos’ resignation at this time.
Following the announcement by the Nassau County GOP members calling for his resignation, Santos took to Twitter to make it known he doesn’t intend to do so.
“I was elected to serve the people of #NY03 not the party and 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. “I will NOT resign!”
Nunziato cited due process as his reasoning for not being in favor of Santos resigning. Unless it is proven Santos did something illegal, Nunziato said he intends to stick by him.
“It’s called due process,” Nunziato said. “If he did something illegal, then of course. Show me that he did something illegal. Everyone deserves due process. Prove it and I’d be the first to tell him to step down. Due process — that’s what America is built on. Then we’ll make a decision. I will not be calling on him to resign without due process. That would be un-American.”
Nunziato said that Santos isn’t the only politician to have been caught lying. However, Nunziato said he believes Santos got elected due to his stances on issues like crime rather than his supposed background.
“It’s a shame that he fluffed [his past],” Nunziato said. “But why are we doing this to him? Because he has an ‘R’ next to his name? It’s all fluff; it’s not real stuff.”
“The people voted him in because of what he wants to do with his area: supporting police, securing the borders, bringing back money. They voted for him for what his beliefs are — not whether he was ‘Jew-ish,’ or whatever,” Nunziato added. “It’s the constituents of the person he lost to. Show me something as far as being illegal — no one said anything about finances to me. It’s all newspaper buzz. We have investigations on Joe Biden’s son right now — anyone can do an investigation. Show me something illegal, then it’s different. [If there’s] no proof of anything, then how can we try somebody? I agree he fluffed everything, but what does that mean? The people voted for him. Show me what’s illegal.”
Earlier Wednesday, the Nassau County GOP made the announcement urging Santos to resign. Over 30 Nassau County Republicans, including state and county elected officials, town supervisors and City of Glen Cove Mayor Pam Panzenbeck, stood united in calling for his resignation.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said his office will have “no contact with Santos’ staff until he resigns” and “is a stain on the House of Representatives.” He said he will refer Third Congressional District constituents dealing with federal issues to the office of freshman U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park).
Santos was revealed to have lied about his past throughout his successful Congressional campaign. Among the lies he told were about his occupational and educational history, ancestral and religious background and wealth. Due to his shady past, he’s currently being investigated by multiple prosecutor’s offices. While it remains to be seen whether or not he ends up getting charged with any crimes, he has since been sworn into office.
