More Republican lawmakers have come forward to condemn Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY), who was exposed for having fabricated major aspects of his life story.
Outgoing Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson recommended punishment against the New York Republican, with Brady calling on him to resign.
Brady, who is stepping down after 26 years in office, held a position on the House Ways and Means Committee, a position he made sure to recommend does not go to Santos.
GEORGE SANTOS CAMPAIGN FILINGS INCLUDE TRAVEL EXPENSES AND RENT PAYMENTS: REPORT
“Right now, he would not be on the committee that I led,” Brady said in an appearance on Fox News on Sunday. “And frankly, he’s got to take some huge steps if he wants to regain trust and respect in his district.”
Brady said that he could either ride it out or “own every lie that he’s made and apologize to everyone and anyone for as long as it takes.” He also stressed that Santos should seriously consider resigning.
However, Brady also left open the possibility of forgiveness, saying it was up to Santos’s constituents.
“We’re a country of second chances,” Brady said. “And when people are willing to turn their life around and own up to this and do what it takes and earn respect and trust again, you know, we’re willing to do that.”
Hutchinson was less open to forgiveness, condemning Santos and recommending that the House Ethics Committee take action against him.
“There has to be accountability for that. That is unacceptable. You know, it — I don’t know whether you can go far as to not seat him. But certainly, the Ethics Committee should deal with this,” Hutchinson said in an appearance on ABC’s This Week. “And he has to be held accountable for that. That’s unacceptable in politics. It breaches the trust between the electorate and their elected official.”
“But it’s — we have to have more integrity in our political environment, in our elected leaders, and this destroys that confidence and undermines the integrity that’s needed,” he concluded.
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An investigation from the New York Times found that Santos had deliberately lied about numerous parts of his life, including claims that his grandparents were Ukrainian Jewish Holocaust survivors, that he worked at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and that he was Jewish, among many other things. Soon after, he admitted to lying on several parts of his resume in an interview with the New York Post, and he said other falsehoods were the result of miscommunication.
Hutchinson and Brady are just the latest of numerous Republicans and Democrats who have called on Santos to resign since the revelations were made public.
