On Thursday, CNN's Kristin Wilson reported that embattled Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is now saying he will resign — but only if "142 people" ask him to do so.
"If 142 people ask for me to resign, I'll resign," said Santos to reporters while exiting his office, according to Wilson.
Santos reportedly did not clarify why it needs to specifically be 142 people, or whether he means any 142 people, 142 elected officials, or 142 members of Congress — or whether the 142 have to all be Republicans, or could be members of any party.
"Why 142?" Wilson wondered.
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She wasn't alone in her confusion.
"I can't find any version of this that makes sense," remarked political reporter Ben Jacobs.
"Two-thirds of House GOP conference would be... 148? Maybe he's bad at math? (which would be surprising for a ex-Goldman guy)," said Jonathan Nicholson of HuffPost.
“Can someone get the tarot card and crystal ball girlies to the hill to figure out why Santos says his magic resignation number is ‘142 people,’” added Daily Beast reporter Ursula Perano.
Fox News producer Kelly Phares offered a potential explanation: “Why did Rep George Santos say this morning 'if 142 people ask for me to resign, I will resign'? I honestly don't know. But Fox colleague Peter Kasperowicz points out that Santos got about 142,000 votes in his NY-3 election. So maybe he's somehow referring to that number?”
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This comes amid a torrent of calls for Santos to resign from key politicians in New York, including four Republican members of Congress, and the chair of the Nassau County Republican Party, which is part of his district. A fifth New York Republican congressman, Mike Lawler, is expected to call on him to resign today.
Santos, an openly gay Brazilian immigrant, has faced a torrent of allegations that he lied about major facts of his life and identity while running for Congress, including fabricating the schools and colleges he attended, his employment at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, and a supposed pet charity. He has also falsely claimed to be Jewish, that his parents were Holocaust refugees, and that he knew four people who died in the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida. He is also facing a House Ethics Committee investigation and a criminal investigation by the District Attorney of Nassau County, who is probing, among other things, how he got the money to loan his own campaign $700,000.
Despite all the pressure from members of his own party, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and other members of GOP leadership have not called on him to step down. Santos resigning would open up a special election, giving Democrats an opening to flip his seat and narrow the GOP's already precarious House majority.
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\u201cRep Santos tells reporters \u201cIf 142 people ask for me to resign, I\u2019ll resign.\u201d\u201d— Lalee Ibssa (@Lalee Ibssa) 1673534798
