George Santos will have to ‘consider resigning,’ says Republican Rep. Brady

Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said Sunday Rep-elect George Santos should consider resigning after admitting he fabricated and “embellished” several claims about his background involving his education and work history.

Santos, who made LGBTQ political history by winning November’s race in New York’s 3rd congressional district, is expected to be sworn in on Tuesday when the new Congress begins. Despite growing calls from Democrats and some GOP officials for Santos to step down or not be sworn in, the House Republican leadership has remained silent on the issue.

During an interview on “Fox News Sunday”, Brady, who is retiring from Congress, said Santos would have to “take huge steps” to regain the public’s trust.

“It’s troubling in a lot of ways. Granted, he’s lied a lot of times,” Brady said. “He’s definitely going to have to consider quitting.”

However, Brady said, Santos could redeem himself by acknowledging his missteps.

“We are a second-chance country,” Brady said. “And when you recognize that, do what it takes to earn respect and trust again, you know, we’re ready to do that. So hopefully, you know, he chooses the right path.”

Brady said a decision on Santos’ resignation “should be made between him and the voters who elected him.”

Santos’ admission came after the New York Times published a bombshell investigation last month that said he was unable to substantiate many of Santos’ alleged qualifications, such as having worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and that he graduated from Baruch College.

Federal prosecutors in New York have opened an investigation into Santos for his congressional campaign. Two sources confirmed to NBC News last week that prosecutors are reviewing Santos’ finances, including potential irregularities regarding financial disclosures and loans he made to his campaign as he ran for Congress. NBC previously reported that the investigation, which a spokesperson for prosecutors declined to comment on, has yet to uncover a single allegation of wrongdoing.

Santos is also being investigated by the Nassau County District Attorney. While the focus of this investigation is unclear, District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, a Republican, said in a statement Wednesday that “the many fabrications and inconsistencies associated with Congressman-elect Santos are simply staggering.” .

“No one is above the law and if a crime has been committed in this county, we will prosecute it,” Donnelly said.

The New York attorney general’s office also said it was “investigating a number of issues” regarding Santos, but did not confirm whether it had opened a formal investigation.

A representative for Santos did not previously respond to NBC News’ request for comment on the investigations, and his campaign did not immediately respond to Brady’s comments.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the incumbent chairman of the Republican National Committee of Congress, ignored reporters’ questions about Santos and whether he had to be seated.

Santos has previously tweeted that he backs McCarthy’s bid for president as part of a leadership fight in the House GOP, which will only have a slim majority in the next Congress.