Swift Reactions Following Santos Indictment; McCarthy Won't Support Reelection Bid

Rep. George Santos, whose lies about his life story have drawn deep, bipartisan scrutiny, has been charged with making false statements, fraud, money laundering and other crimes in a 13-count federal indictment.

The embattled 34-year-old Republican, whose district covers part of Long Island and Queens, was arraigned shortly after prosecutors in New York's Eastern District released the court documents.

The indictment includes seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the U.S. House of Representatives. Read it here.

Reactions to the news has been swift, as well as bipartisan, with the group Concerned Citizens of NY-03, a nonpartisan, ad hoc group of residents from NY’s 3rd Congressional District that formed to have Santos removed, saying in a statement "no one is surprised."

"No one is surprised that George Santos was charged in federal court today[...]The world has known for months that Santos is a liar, an imposter, a criminal. The only thing we didn’t know was which of his many crimes would be prosecuted first. It’s beyond time for Speaker Kevin McCarthy to withdraw his support for Santos and show him the door," the group said in part.

"Even in Congress, where truth-stretching is almost a norm, Santos is an outlier. He is an imposter," the Concerned Citizens of NY-03's statement goes on to say. "It’s a disgrace that McCarthy has continued to sully the U.S. House of Representatives by allowing Santos to walk those sacred halls - for more than four months now!"

Meanwhile, Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY) also called on Santos to leave office.

"As a retired NYPD Detective, I am confident the justice system will fully reveal Congressman Santos' long history of deceit, and I once again call on this serial fraudster to resign from office," D'Esposito said in a statement.

Fellow Long Island congressman Rep. Nick LaLota said that he no longer wanted to be "distracted by this clown,"' adding in a statement that "these charges bring us one step closer to never having to talk about this lying loser again."

Another Republican, Rep. Mike Lawler, from the Hudson Valley, called Santos' conduct "embarrassing and disgraceful," echoing his calls Tuesday that the congressman resign. Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik was one of the few to offer some sort of support for Santos, arguing he should get his day in court.

"This legal process is going to play itself out. Unfortunately this is not the first time a member of Congress from either party has been indicted. There are a set of rules," Stefanik said.

Congressman Dan Goldman (D-NY) also called on Santos to be removed from Congress "immediately."

“While we wait to see the exact criminal charges filed against George Santos, public reporting indicates that the charges relate to the conduct outlined in the complaint I filed with the House Ethics Committee," Goldman's statement reads.  “As a former prosecutor, there were glaring red lights in Santos’s campaign disclosures, and I applaud the DOJ for working diligently to investigate them. 

“Now that Santos has been indicted, it is incumbent on Speaker Kevin McCarthy to eliminate the stain of Santos on this hallowed institution by removing him from Congress immediately," Goldman's statement continues. “We cannot wait any longer.” 

Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres said the charges are "long overdue," calling Santos "a pathological liar and lawbreaker who lied to the voters of New York State and defrauded his way into the United States Congress." He added Wednesday that Santos "should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and he should be expelled from Congress."

"There are 800,000 voters in Long Island and Queens who are deprived of a voice and a vote in the United States congress. And that’s why we should either expel him or force him to resign so that those voters can finally get the representation they deserve," Torres said.

The former congressman who Santos defeated in November, Robert Zimmerman, said that "if Kevin McCarthy and the Republicans in Congress do not remove George Santos, then they are accomplices to his crimes." Zimmerman said Santos "has betrayed our congressional district. He’s already acknowledged past crimes and in fact now it’s time for him to be expelled from office."

On the state level, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said that Santos "should do the right thing and put his district out of its misery." In response to her comment, the congressman said outside of court on Wednesday that Hochul is "entitled to her opinion," but she was not one of his constituents to whom he answers.

New York State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar also called for Santos to resign.

"If George Santos has a shred of decency left he will immediately resign from Congress," Kassar's statement reads. "The Conservative Party believes in the principle of innocence until proven guilty, but Mr. Santos’s serial lying alone, as reflected in today’s multi-count indictment, makes him ineligible to hold public office. Mr. Santos’s resignation is the one public service he can render.”

However, although politicians from both sides of the aisle have asked for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to call for Santos to resign, McCarthy is standing by his side — to an extent. While he isn't demanding a resignation, McCarthy told reporters that he would not support Santos for reelection.

"No, I'm not going to support Santos," McCarthy said, almost with a laugh. "I think he's got some other things to focus on in this life than running for stuff."

The Speaker said earlier in the day that he hadn't seen the charges himself, he did say that a criminal trial "always concerns me." On Tuesday, McCarthy alluded to New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez's own legal problems, stating that Menendez was allowed to stay in office as he was indicted, and is now a committee chair.

"Santos was never put on committee, so he won't serve on committee," McCarthy told reporters. "He will go through his time in trial and let's find out how the outcome is."

After leaving the courthouse Wednesday, Santos adamantly said: "I will not resign." He insisted he will not drop his reelection bid.

Democrats have pointed out that the current Republican majority in the House is very narrow, and that if Santos were to resign, the GOP's advantage would get even smaller.

Asked about Santos on Wednesday, President Joe Biden said, “I’m not commenting,” adding that anything he said would be construed by some interfering in the investigation. Asked if Congress should expel Santos, Biden said, “That’s for Congress to decide.”

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, a Republican whose office helped indict Santos, said that the investigation remains ongoing. When asked if she thinks Santos should resign, she said he never should have been elected into office in the first place.