3 Iowa reps among those calling for George Santos to resign

Three of Iowa’s Republican U.S. representatives called on Republican U.S. Rep. George Santos to resign Thursday after a House Ethics Committee investigation found evidence of a string of alleged financial crimes tied to his 2022 campaign.

Reps. Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks called for Santos to resign from Congress, signaling that they would vote to expel him if he does not resign.

The three representatives, along with Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra, all voted against a previous measure to expel Santos from Congress.

The House Ethics Committee’s report says Santos stole from his campaign, deceived donors into paying him personally when they thought they were giving to his campaign, and reported fictitious loans to his campaign he then used campaign funds to pay back.

The investigation “revealed a complex web of unlawful activity involving Representative Santos’ campaign, personal and business finances,” the report says. “Rep. Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”

The committee referred its findings to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Santos also faces a 23-count federal indictment for election crimes, identity theft and wire fraud related to his campaign.

Iowa reps

Hinson, who represents Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the ethics report on Santos is “thorough & damning.”

“His conduct was illegal & unacceptable & Americans deserve better from their representatives,” she said. “He should resign today. If he refuses, I will vote to remove him from Congress.”

Nunn, who represents central and southern Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, said Santos has not lived up to the standard of an elected representative.

“The American people deserve honesty and transparency from their elected representatives,” he said. “George Santos has clearly not lived up to those ideals. ... He should resign from office. If he does not, I will vote to remove him.”

Miller-Meeks, who represents Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, agreed.

“Now that the House Ethics Committee has found substantial evidence of criminal activity and referred ⁦(Santos)⁩ to the DOJ, I strongly urge his resignation or face expulsion,” she said on X.

Feenstra, who represents Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, did not make a public statement and did not respond to a request for comment.

Santos said on Thursday he would not seek re-election in 2024 but did not say he would resign from Congress.

House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest, a Republican from Mississippi, will move to expel Santos this week, according to CNN.