Matt Gaetz Says George Santos Shouldn't Be Shunned Before Making His Case

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has come to embattled GOP congressman George Santos' defense, saying he shouldn't be shunned by colleagues amid a growing backlash over lies about his personal and professional background.

Santos was sworn into the U.S. House last week representing New York's 3rd Congressional District. But just months after flipping a Democratic-held House seat, he is facing calls to resign amid multiple ethical complaints and criminal investigations.

Joseph Cairo, the chair of the Nassau County Republican Committee, called for Santos to resign on Wednesday and several Republican lawmakers from New York have since joined the calls.

Santos has resisted the demands, tweeting on Wednesday: "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. I will NOT resign!"

In an appearance on CNN on Saturday, Gaetz told Michael Smerconish that Santos should be afforded the opportunity to "make his case."

Santos "represents over 700,000 people in New York and whether people like that or not, those people deserve to have members of Congress collaborating with the person who serves them, whether that's on financial issues or on public safety issues," the congressman said.

"And so George Santos will have to go through the congressional ethics process. I don't want to prejudge that process, but I think he deserves the chance to at least make his case."

Gaetz added until that process is over, Santos should not be shunned by other members of Congress.

"We'll see how that process bears out but until then, I don't think that George Santos should be subject to shunning, because the Americans he serves deserve representation and they have real challenges, and we ought to work together to solve their challenges and meet their needs," he said.

"It's up to the political process to resolve those things. He is a congressman. He was seated. And so, I'm going to treat him as a colleague, and he's going to have to endure the process that goes through managing the conduct of members."

Gaetz also defended Santos while interviewing him on Steve Bannon's War Room podcast, where he said that "embellishing one's resume isn't a crime. It's frankly, how a lot of people get to Congress."

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has stood by Santos, but said concerns could be investigated by the House Ethics Committee.

"The voters have elected George Santos," McCarthy told reporters on Thursday. "If there is a concern, he will go through Ethics. If there is something that is found, he will be dealt with in that matter. But they have a voice in this process."

Newsweek has contactedGaetz and Santos for further comment.