Rep. George Santos (R-NY) defiantly insisted yet again Tuesday that he would not resign from his House seat, despite being caught in a cascading series of lies that have landed him under investigation for possible crimes.
The newly seated Republican congressman has resisted calls to resign after he was caught lying about basic components of his biography, but he appears to have the backing of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who seated him on committees and allowed him to attend a classified briefing.
"Let me be very clear, I’m not leaving, I’m not hiding and I am NOT backing down," Santos tweeted Tuesday. "I will continue to work for #NY03 and no amount of Twitter trolling will stop me. I’m looking forward to getting what needs to be done, DONE!"
Santos was hit with blowback from other social media users.
"This is also a lie," said Twitter user Nick Acosta.
"Given your track record for lying, I can only assume that your entire tweet is a lie," said Yale radiology professor Howard Forman. "Instead of sticking it out in Congress, why not go get help for yourself so you can have a meaningful future rather than just prison?"
"George, you’re the one who epically trolled all of us in #NY03," tweeted Reema Rasool, who ran in the Democratic primary for the seat Santos won. "Be our Valentine and RESIGN today."
"Tell us that when you’re in federal prison," added reality TV producer Keith Edwards.
"Let me be very clear, we don’t accept & will not stop pushing for your dismissal until you’re out on the street," said Brian C. Hopkins, Democratic candidate for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District. "Even then we will push for your conviction & permanent ban from ever holding a government job in any capacity. The pressure is just starting!"