Members of the Nassau County Republican Committee on Wednesday called on Rep. George Santos to resign, saying the congressman ran a "campaign of deceit."

At a news conference in Westbury, Long Island, Nassau County GOP chairman Joseph Cairo said Santos "has no place in the Nassau County Republican Committee, nor should he serve in public service or as an elected official."

"Today, on behalf of the Nassau County Republican Committee, I am calling for his immediate resignation," Cairo said. "George Santos' campaign last year, 2022, was a campaign of deceit, lies and fabrication."

What You Need To Know

  • Members of the Nassau County Republican Committee on Wednesday called on Rep. George Santos to resign, saying the congressman ran a "campaign of deceit"

  • At a news conference in Westbury, Long Island, Nassau County GOP chairman Joseph Cairo said Santos "has no place in the Nassau County Republican Committee, nor should he serve in public service or as an elected official"

  • Santos, for his part, said he had no plans to tender his resignation, tweeting that he was "elected to serve the people of #NY03, not the party & politicians"

Surrounded by reporters in Washington, D.C. moments after Cairo made his remarks on Wednesday, however, Santos said he had no plans to tender his resignation.

"Will you step down?" a reporter asked the congressman.

"I will not," he responded.

Santos doubled down on his response on Twitter soon after.

"I was elected to serve the people of #NY03 not the party & politicians, I remain committed to doing that and regret to hear that local officials refuse to work with my office to deliver results to keep our community safe and lower the cost of living," he wrote Wednesday afternoon. "I will NOT resign!"

Santos' fellow freshman Republican, Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, joined the news conference remotely from Washington, D.C.

In a statement, D'Esposito said it had "become clear that Congressman George Santos' many hurtful lies and mistruths surrounding his history have irreparably broken the trust of the residents he is sworn to serve."

"When public servants deceive and mislead those they are tasked with serving, they are no longer fit to work for the people," D'Esposito said.

The state Republican party chair and Santos' fellow member of Congress, Nick Langworthy, backed the Nassau County GOP's decision.

"I support the Nassau Republicans' decision today to request the resignation of George Santos," Langworthy said. "It's clear that he cannot be an effective representative and it would be in the best interest of the taxpayers to have new leadership."

Syracuse-area Rep. Brandon Williams, a Republican, also joined the call for Santos to resign.

"As more revelations become public, I concur with the Nassau Republicans' decision to request George Santos's resignation," Williams said in a statement. "He must resign."

New York State Conservative Party chairman Gerard Kasser released his own statement Wednesday afternoon saying his party believed Santos' "profound use of mistruths as a candidate morally disqualifies him from serving in public office and exposes him to potential legal action, seriously compromising his ability to represent his constituents."

"It is my hope, and the hope of Nassau County Conservative Chairman Daniel M. Donovan, that Mr. Santos will voluntarily tender his resignation out of respect for the public and the institution to which he was elected under false pretenses," Kasser wrote.

But Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy continued to resist even criticizing him.

“The voters elected him to serve. If there is a concern and it has to go through Ethics, we’ll let it move through that," McCarthy said.

While House Republican leadership on Capitol Hill have taken a wait-and-see approach on Santos, it is clear he has lost the support and confidence of local Republicans.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who has Jewish heritage, noted Wednesday that Santos lied about being Jewish and the descendent of Holocaust survivors, insulting county residents whose families perished in or experienced the tortures of the Holocaust.

Blakeman said his office will not have contact with Santos until he resigns.

Unlike his Nassau County counterpart, Cairo, Queens GOP leader Tony Nunziato said he won’t call for Santos’ ouster until the congressman is charged with a crime.

Blakeman said he also believes in due process, but "we don’t need the process to unfold. He’s basically confessed. And he needs help.”

Cairo also made public a small lie Santos told during the vetting process that is part of a much larger pattern.

“He told me, I remember specifically — I’m into sports a little bit — that he was a star on the Baruch volleyball team and that they won the league championship," Cairo recalled.

Santos, who was sworn in earlier this week, has dodged reporters, including from NY1, but said he would address the press soon. He has admitted to lying about a host of biographical details, from where he attended college to whether he has Jewish roots and whether his mother's death was connected to 9/11. 

Prosecutors at the county, state and federal levels are reviewing his case for criminal wrongdoing.

The congressman also faces a Federal Election Commission complaint over alleged campaign finance violations. Santos has said he is no criminal.

Nick Reisman and Kevin Frey contributed to this report.