'He's in denial mode': George Santos slammed for blowing off his own promise to explain his lies

Scandal-plagued Congressman George Santos (R-NY) has promised multiple times to explain his side of the story — and he keeps blowing off and pushing back on those promises, wrote Allan Smith for MSNBC Tuesday.

"'To the people of #NY03 I have my story to tell and it will be told next week,' Santos tweeted on Dec. 22. 'I want to assure everyone that I will address your questions and that I remain committed to deliver the results I campaigned on; Public safety, Inflation, Education & more,'" wrote Smith. "It’s been more than a month since that post and Santos, though he has given a handful of interviews to local and conservative outlets, including The New York Post, has scratched only the surface of the allegations he faces — which have grown considerably since his late December tweet."

Santos has been accused of lying about almost every aspect of his life on the campaign trail, including where he went to school, where he worked, his alleged identity as a Jewish descendant of Holocaust refugees, and his leadership of a fictional animal rescue charity. He has since faced even more troubles, including a criminal investigation into his campaign finance and an allegation that he tried to make off with $3,000 from a disabled Marine vet's GoFundMe to save his dying service dog.

Faced with pressure to explain himself, Santos — who has admitted to some of the allegations against him but denied others — has continued to promise he'll provide an explanation soon, telling NBC News two weeks ago, "I’ll be addressing the media soon. On my time, OK?"

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"Roberta Stern, a moderate Republican from Great Neck who said she voted for Democrat Robert Zimmerman, Santos’ opponent last fall, said 'it’s clear' Santos 'has not been saying enough,'" said the report. "'I think being quiet for so long has really worked against him,' she said. 'Now he’s in denial mode and seems to be doing his business and not really caring.'"

Santos has refused to resign, baffling reporters by claiming he would only resign if "142 people" told him too — although he later clarified he meant the 142,000 people who voted for him last year. Several New York GOP lawmakers and officials have called on him to step down; however, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and other House GOP leadership have declined to do so.