Kevin Brady says George Santos has to take ‘huge steps’ to regain public trust

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) said on Sunday that Rep.-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.) must take “huge steps” to regain public trust after Santos admitted to lying about his background on the campaign trail.

“Frankly, he’s got to take some huge steps if he wants to regain trust and respect in his district,” Brady said on “Fox News Sunday.”

But the Texas Republican, who is leaving Congress, also said Santos could be forgiven by the GOP for owning up to the false statements and that it wasn’t up to the party to punish Santos.

“We’re a country of second chances. And when you you own up to this, then do what it takes to earn respect and trust again, you know, we’re willing to do that. So I’m hopeful, you know, he chooses the right path,” Brady said.

Brady also said that the decision of whether Santos opts to resign or stay in office “needs to be made between he and the voters who elected him.”

A New York Times report in December called into question Santos’s resume when it found no evidence he had worked on Wall Street, attended a New York City public college or that he had a real estate portfolio that helped rescue animals. An attorney for Santos initially disputed the New York Times report before Santos ultimately admitted in a New York Post article that he had indeed made up the claims.

Santos is facing local and federal investigations over his finances as well as calls for the House Ethics Committee to investigate the incoming member who is slated to be sworn-in on Tuesday.