Congressional colleagues respond to controversy surrounding Rep. George Santos

Congressional representatives are calling on Republican Rep. George Santos of Long Island to step down from his position after he admitted to lying about several things in his bid to get elected.

Among these issues, Santos admitted to “embellishing” his resume, as well as blatantly lying about his faith. While his misrepresentations of himself are not criminal, a Brazil prosecutor had filed a petition requesting Santos respond to an embezzlement charge related to allegedly using stolen checks for purchases in 2008.

Asked her opinion on the controversy surrounding Santos, Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis told CBS2’s Lisa Rozner: “I’ve not spoken with him. After all, how can I believe everything he says?”

When asked if he should resign, she added, “Look, I think he, right now, he was elected by the people, and legally, he has to be sat, so unless there’s a criminal charge that emerges from these investigations.”

Republican Rep. Alex Mooney of West Virginia agreed, saying it was “up to his constituents.”

Meanwhile, his Democratic colleagues weren’t as soft on Santos, with Rep. Jamaal Bowman calling him “a disgrace” who “needs to step down.”

“It’s unfortunate for the voters in that district that they were duped into supporting a person that they thought was going to represent them with integrity,” Bowman told Rozner.

Santos, however, has expressed no desire to step down and believes he can still be a good leader.