In George Santos' district, constituents voice disapproval for criminally charged lawmaker

Many constituents of GOP Rep. George Santos, who was charged on Wednesday with a host of federal offenses, including wire fraud and money laundering, said they've had more than enough of the first-term lawmaker and admitted fabricator.

"I’m ready for a special election,” said Luke Elliott Negri, 41, of Port Washington, who is registered with the Working Families Party and voted for Robert Zimmerman, Santos' Democratic opponent, last November. “It’s a sign of the times this guy made it this far. It was very obvious this guy wasn’t going to last.”

Santos, 34, defeated Zimmerman in the November general election in the 3rd Congressional District, which straddles portions of Nassau and Queens. He came under heightened scrutiny after a report by The New York Times found discrepancies in his resume and the biography he touted on the campaign trail.

Rob Redding, 57, a Port Washington Democrat, said Santos should resign or be forced from office.

“He certainly should be out and shouldn’t be representing this district in Congress,” Redding said shortly after Santos' arrest Wednesday morning. “I thought he would have the grace to bow out. Before he launches another campaign, the Justice Department needs to do something. If it needs to go down this route, he needs to leave,”

Santos was arraigned in federal court in Central Islip on Wednesday afternoon on a 13-count indictment charging him with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds, and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $500,000 bond.

At Massapequa's All American Hamburger Drive-In on Wednesday, several customers said Santos should resign, while others in the predominantly Republican portion of the Third District said they continued to support him.

Lori Pastore, 54, a Massapequa Republican, voted for Santos and still backs him. She thought the charges against Santos were likely unfair, adding that she would vote for him again if he runs in 2024.

“I don’t know if he didn’t do anything wrong. They’re kind of nitpicking things,” she said, arguing that Santos should continue with his reelection campaign. “He’s innocent until proven guilty. He’s going to stay there.”

Meanwhile, Debbie Smyth, 67, a Bethpage Democrat who voted for Zimmerman, supported the charges brought by federal prosecutors.

“I’m not a fan. He seems a little too crooked for my liking and it’s disgusting,” she said. “He should definitely leave office. I hope they get someone else."

The inevitability of the indictment was no surprise to Rick O'Connell of Little Neck, a retired U.S. Customs supervisor at Kennedy Airport, who was walking past Santos' closed office in Douglaston, Queens, on Wednesday. 

O'Connell said that Santos' numerous manipulations strongly suggested shenanigans with money, finances and expense accounts.

"It was so obvious," he said. "Lying and thievery often go together. He was obviously lying all about various things." 

Mike Corallo, 69, a retired Brinks executive who is from the Oyster Bay-Syosset area and now lives in Queens, shouted for Santos to "go to jail!" as he drove west on Northern Boulevard, passing Santos' office.

"He hasn't said one thing true. The guy's a crook. He stole money!" Corallo said in a curbside interview, adding "He lies!"

Amir Iravani, 64, a Democrat from left-leaning Port Washington, said Santos should have resigned months ago.

“I just don’t understand why it took so long. I don’t know what the punishment is for falsifying documents and lying about pretty much everything, but he should step down,” Iravani said. “I think what he did was obviously inappropriate and it’s time for him to go. I’m glad prosecutors are doing the right thing to hold him accountable.”

Even constituents who voted for Santos appeared exasperated with the lawmaker.

“He should’ve went to jail," said Shana Blacknall, 44, of Great Neck, a registered Democrat who voted for Santos. "He’s not above the law. Just because you’re a congressman, it doesn’t mean you can do all these illegal things."

Blacknall said if she'd known about Santos' lies and alleged criminality, “I wouldn’t have voted for him. You’re in Congress and you know better.”