Watch: GOP lawmaker urges 'goofball' George Santos to consider resigning from the House of Representatives

15 January 2023

United States Congressman Chris Stewart (R-Utah) called embattled Representative George Santos (R-New York) a "goofball" on Sunday's edition of Face the Nation after CBS Moderator Margaret Brennan sought Stewart's take on Santos' political future.

Santos' fabricated résumé was exposed by The New York Times in December, and subsequent lies about his background, as well as possible breaches of campaign finance laws, have come to light in the weeks since. Santos was sworn in with the rest of the 118th Congress earlier this month. And despite growing concerns that his reputation for dishonesty could carry national security risks and make him a target for blackmail, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) indicated last week that Santos would receive committee assignments.

"The voters elected him to serve," McCarthy said. "In America today, you're innocent until proven guilty."

Nonetheless, calls for Santos to resign have accumulated across the political continuum, including from his fellow Republicans in New York.

On Tuesday, Nassau County GOP Chairman Joe Cairo and his colleagues denounced Santos as a "fraud" and a "national joke" who should "immediately" quit.

Although Santos has adamantly refused to step down, he did make a bizarre offer to walk away if "142 people" demand it. But this turned out to be another bait-and-switch. Santos later stated that he meant to say “142,000 voters who voted for me" and that "the elevator cut that."

On Saturday, Representative Don Bacon (R-Nebraska) told ABC News' Jonathan Karl that he would abdicate his seat if he were in Santos' shoes.

Stewart shared Bacon's sentiment the next day.

Brennan:

I want to ask you about George Santos as you heard me ask your Democratic colleague. Can an elected official who's under that many investigations be trusted as a lawmaker, should he resign?

Stewart:

Well it's, it's a core question. Look, I don't know Mr. Santos. I've never had a chance to talk with him, as you observe...

Brennan:

Do you need to talk to him to have an answer to that question?

Stewart:

Well, no, I don't. Which is, as I was just going to say, as you observe this, it's pretty hard not to conclude he's a bit of a goofball. He clearly lied to his constituents. And to your point as well, it's gonna be very, very difficult for him to gain the trust of his colleagues. And I don't know what he's gonna do. I mean, the reality is, is you can't expel a member of Congress. At the end of the day, it really is up to the voters in Nassau County. I can tell you this. if I were in that situation, I don't know how I could continue to serve. And I had – I suppose he needs to ask that same question.

Watch below or at this link.

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