George Santos' supporters feel 'betrayed': report

Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is rapidly losing his remaining friends as donors turn on him, and as constituents are left with nowhere to go for help, reported CBS News on Monday.

This comes after a tidal wave of scandals revealing that Santos has lied about almost every aspect of his life on the campaign trail, fabricating where he went to school and where he worked, falsely claiming to be descended from Holocaust survivors, falsely claiming his mother was in the World Trade Center on 9/11, and fabricating a pet charity. He is also under investigation for his campaign finance practices — a situation not helped by his campaign making an amended filing that admits hundreds of thousands of dollars of "personal loans" he paid to his campaign were not his money.

"Business leaders and donors say they feel betrayed after sponsoring fundraisers," reported Jennifer McLogan. "'I'm taken back and offended on so many things. This is a black eye for the GOP,' said David Zere, a Santos campaign donor. Zere said Santos' 9/11 and Holocaust lies were the last straw."

Since being sworn in and amid his refusal to resign, the report noted, he is not actually doing his job as a congressman, leaving people on Long Island without constituent services.

"The door to Santos' district office in Queens was locked and former Rep. Tom Suozzi's name is still on the awning. Local officials in the third congressional district must turn elsewhere for help," said the report. "'Dealing with FEMA for example, or dealing with clean water with the EPA,'" said Mineola Mayor Paul Pereira.

This comes after reporting that constituents in Santos' district are strategizing over how to pressure Republicans to expel him from Congress. Large numbers of fellow New York Republicans have called for him to resign or be forced out; however, Republican leadership, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), have not joined this call, defending him instead.