Two more House Republicans are calling for fellow New York Rep. George Santos (R) to be ousted from his position, throwing their support behind an effort to expel him over the extensive list of false claims that he has made about himself.
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that New York GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, the first House Republican to call for Santos to resign earlier this year, and Rep. Marc Molinaro (R), who also called for his resignation, both said Santos should be removed from office.
Molinaro told the outlet that Santos’s dishonesty is “extensive,” saying he has “eroded” his ability to serve in the House.
“That he doesn’t see this or seemingly understand or care about the damage he’s doing to the institution, his constituents and himself — is so troubling there’s nothing less that should happen. His dishonesty is fundamentally destructive,” Molinaro told Bloomberg.
Santos has admitted to having an “embellished resume” but has sought to shift blame to his local Nassau County GOP. He has stepped down from his committee assignments but refused to resign from his House seat.
D’Esposito confirmed to The Hill that the congressman also supports expelling Santos, saying Santos continuing to serve in the body is a “stain on the institution.”
“George Santos’ many lies, mistruths, and deceptions have betrayed the public’s trust beyond repair, and make him unable to effectively represent the people of his district,” he said.
The Hill has reached out to a spokesperson for Molinaro for comment.
House Democrats introduced a resolution to remove Santos last month, with the lead sponsor, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), saying Santos’s “continued pattern of fraud and deception is especially worrisome to our own LGBTQ+ community, and it’s time we act and immediately expel him from Congress.”
Santos is the first openly gay, non-incumbent Republican to be elected to Congress.
A spokesperson for Santos told Bloomberg that House members should be focusing on legislative goals like reducing inflation and crime.
The Hill has reached out to Santos’s office for comment.
Rep. Nick LaLota, who has called for Santos to resign, declared his support for expelling Santos in a tweet on Monday, though he told Bloomberg he doesn’t believe “the votes are there just yet” to expel him.
He noted that only about two dozen Democrats have officially backed the expulsion resolution.
“I think they know that Santos is their gift that keeps on giving, and that’s why they want this to be a slow bleed to us,” he said.
–Updated at 3:35 p.m.