Santos will appear before ethics committee but shouldn’t be shunned, Gaetz says

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) says that Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) will go before the House Ethics Committee, but fellow Republicans shouldn’t “subject to shunning” him.

Santos is under severe scrutiny from Democrats and GOP alike, after several reports came out indicating that he fabricated his resume, particularly where he attended college and some professional experience prior to his election to Congress.

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Two New York Democrats, Reps. Dan Goldman and Ritchie Torres, submitted a complaint to the committee on Tuesday.

However, Gaetz said in an interview with CNN’s Michael Smerconish that they must not “prejudge” Santos until he goes through the congressional ethics process.

“I think he deserves the chance to at least make his case,” Gaetz said. “But until then, I don’t think that George Santos should be subject to shunning because the Americans he serves deserve representation, and they have real challenges, and we ought to work together to solve their challenges and meet their needs,” he said.

The Florida Republican added that Republicans owe it to Santos’ constituents to work with the New York representative, despite the controversy surrounding him.

“George Santos represents over 700,000 people in New York,” Gaetz said. “And whether people like that or not, those people deserve to have members of Congress collaborating with the person who serves them.”

Gaetz went as far as to place blame on the New York media for Santos’ ability to spread falsehoods. The New York Times, through an independent review of Santos’ records, discovered multiple discrepancies and brought the information into the mainstream media back in December 2022.

“This wasn’t rural Mississippi — it was the center of the media,” Gaetz said. “And I think there were some local outlets that reported on the concerns of Santos as a candidate,” to which Smerconish interjected, “One week late.”

So far, eight Republicans have called on Santos to resign from his position, including every other freshman representative from New York.

Reps. Max Miller (R-OH), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Nick Langworthy (R-N.Y.), Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.), and Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.), have all publicly asked for Santos’ resignation, with some stating his dishonorable actions have lost the “confidence and support” of the Republican Party.

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said he, along with Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) are handling the situation internally and, if an ethics investigation finds wrongdoing, Santos will be held accountable.

McCarthy stood by Santos and said that, while he’s got “a long way to go” to earn trust, Santos’ constituents elected him and he is a member of Congress.

In the meantime, New York Democrats introduced the “Stopping Another Non Truthful Office Seeker” Act, or SANTOS Act, that would punish candidates for lying about their background while running for office.

Santos has remained tight-lipped over his resume inconsistencies, often dodging media questions asking him to address the issue.

Speaking to Gaetz on the podcast War Room, Santos said he’s “lived an honest life” and said he has no plans to step down, even hinting at a reelection run in 2024.

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“I wish well all of their opinions, but I was elected by 142,000 people. Until those same 142,000 people tell me they don’t want me — we’ll find out in two years,” Santos said.