Twitter users piled on New York Republican Representative George Santos after he made an oddball statement to reporters about what needs to happen for him to resign.
Santos—who recently admitted to “embellishing” his résumé following an extensive investigation by The New York Times that exposed multiple lies he told about his life story—said "if 142 people ask me to resign, I'll resign."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
\u201cRep Santos tells reporters \u201cIf 142 people ask for me to resign, I\u2019ll resign.\u201d\u201d— Lalee Ibssa (@Lalee Ibssa) 1673534798
Calls for Santos to step down intensified this week after The New York Times published an article detailing how Santos gave Long Island, New York Republican officials a bogus résumé when he first expressed interest in running for a seat in the House of Representatives.
Santos lied about everything from his education to his work history at Goldman Sachs. Had Nassau County Republicans "dug into any of the claims," The Times noted, "they would probably have found that much of Mr. Santos’ account was baldly fabricated."
Why Santos offered such a specific number when explaning what needs to happen before he tenders his resignation remains a mystery. Twitter users were more than happy to count themselves among the 142 people he claims he needs to hear from before he can tender his resignation.
Though Santos later said he referred to the "142,000 people" who voted him into office, Twitter users eagerly pushed him toward the exit.
\u201cI think we can find 142 people. Who\u2019s in? \u270b\u201d— Jo \ud83c\udf3b (@Jo \ud83c\udf3b) 1673541418
\u201cI\u2019ll add my name to the list. \nHow many more of you will do the same? \nI\u2019ll bet we can reach 142 in just the few seconds it takes you to raise your hand. \ud83d\ude4b\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u201d— Sorta Damocles (@Sorta Damocles) 1673549126
\u201c142? Done\u201d— GM \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@GM \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1673542768
\u201cWe'll start: @Santos4Congress, please resign. Now.\u201d— MSW Media (@MSW Media) 1673545497
\u201cIt's millions already!\nJust another lie!\u201d— Mojack Marine (@Mojack Marine) 1673545724
\u201cokay! \n\n[glances at replies to this tweet] \n\nlooks like we\u2019ve got the numbers.\u201d— Barrett Tomek (@Barrett Tomek) 1673545950
\u201cI have over 2k people in my chat everyday that would be happy to oblige. We could get this done before my \u201cstream starting\u201d graphic is over. \ud83d\ude0e\u201d— Hal Sparks (@Hal Sparks) 1673546225
\u201cWhat about 49,000?\n\n\ud83d\udc49https://t.co/Qt0sMTp2w7\u201d— MoveOn (@MoveOn) 1673546296
\u201cI'll start! Hey Conman #Santos, RESIGN.\u201d— \ud83d\udc8eJamie Diamond\ud83d\udc8e (@\ud83d\udc8eJamie Diamond\ud83d\udc8e) 1673548049
Santos is also the subject of an ongoing criminal investigations in the United States.
Subsequent New York Times investigations unearthed possible campaign finance violations due to suspicious expenditures listed on his campaign disclosures. Republicans largely denounced him and Santos told New York GOP officials he does not plan to run for reelection in 2024.
Earlier this week, Santos was criticized for condemning an insurrection organized by conservatives in Brazil angry about former leader Jair Bolsonaro's election loss.
Santos' message did not go over well with social media users because Brazilian authorities recently said they're reviving a fraud case against him regarding the theft of a checkbook he used to purchase $700 of items in a clothing store in 2008.
In 2010, Santos confessed to check fraud charges in Brazil but failed to appear in court, leaving the case unresolved. After The New York Times published its investigation, Rio de Janeiro state prosecutors announced they were reviving the fraud charges because Santos' whereabouts had become known.
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