On CNN Friday, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) tore into scandal-plagued Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY) — and House Republican leadership for their apparent unwillingness to do anything to remove him from power, despite the false pretenses on which he was elected and despite the harm he could cause.
Santos has been plagued with a series of investigative reports revealing he lied about most of his life story on the campaign trail, claiming he attended schools and worked for businesses he never did, fabricating a pet charity he supposedly ran, claiming to have Jewish ancestry when he didn't, and in particular may also have lied about how he made the $700,000 he loaned to his own campaign.
"We just heard from some of Congressman-elect Santos' soon-to-be constituents," said anchor Pamela Brown. "What do you think, do you think they deserve some sort of recourse now that we know they were lied to on so many different fronts?"
"George Santos should resign," said Torres. "I mean, as far as I'm concerned, he's a sociopath who has essentially defrauded the voters of New York State. And Mr. Santos not only lies, but he lies about his lies. He claims that he never lied about his work experience, that he only 'embellished' his résumé. He claims that he never said that he was Jewish, that he was only 'Jew-ish.'"
This is not simply embarrassing, but a threat to national security, argued Torres — and one that House Republicans aren't prepared to do anything to stop.
"All of these lies would be laughable were the stakes not so serious," said Torres. "Were it not for the fact that this charlatan, this snake-oil salesman, is about to become a United States Congressman, and he's about to have access to sensitive information affecting matters of national security. When you're a member of Congress, you receive security clearance by virtue of the position you hold. And I have no confidence that a Republican-controlled House is going to protect the public from the future fraudulence of George Santos."
Watch below:
Ritchie Torres says George Santos is a threat to national security www.youtube.com
