Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) on Thursday called for Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) to resign, joining a small group of House Republicans who have urged the scandal-ridden lawmaker to step aside.
“I believe voters have the right to hold government officials to the very highest standard of honesty and trustworthiness,” Miller said in a statement, first reported by Cleveland.com. “The people’s representatives must respect the need for transparency and candor with Americans. It is not okay to fabricate or lie for political gain.”
The calls for Santos’s resignation come in the wake of revelations that the first-term lawmaker lied about much of his résumé on the campaign trail and the emergence of further concerns about his finances. Santos is now facing multiple investigations over potential ethics and campaign finance violations.
Five other first-term Republican lawmakers from New York — Reps. Anthony D’Esposito, Nick Langworthy, Nick LaLota, Brandon Williams and Mike Lawler — urged Santos to resign on Wednesday, after the local Nassau County GOP chairman made a similar call.
“It is clear that George Santos has lost the confidence and support of his party, his constituents, and his colleagues,” Lawler said in a statement. “With the extent and severity of the allegations against him, his inability to take full responsibility for his conduct, and the numerous investigations underway, I believe he is unable to fulfill his duties and should resign.”
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is so far the only non-freshman lawmaker to call on Santos to step aside.
In spite of the backlash, Santos has vowed not to resign, and he appears to have the tepid support of Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
“The voters of his district have elected him. He is seated. He is part of the Republican conference,” McCarthy told reporters on Thursday, according to CNN.