Santos a ‘disgrace,’ but still my guy: pol
Queens City Councilman Robert Holden refused to rescind his endorsement of fact-challenged Rep. George Santos on Monday and said he only backed the Republican for “access” — setting off a chorus of criticisms from fellow Democrats.
Holden (near right) told the Daily News it would be “plain dumb” to take back the stamp of approval he gave Santos in October during the Republican’s general election congressional run, but noted that the freshman congressman’s pattern of lying has been “disgraceful” and that he “made a mistake” in giving Santos (far right) the nod.
Holden, a registered Democrat who has run under both the Democratic and Republican ballot lines in the past, justified his decision to back Santos with the contention that his endorsement would help get him more access to the Republican rep at a time when the GOP controls the House of Representatives.
“We need access to Congress. I kind of did it for more access,” said Holden, who represents Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale. “If I knew what I knew now, I wouldn’t have endorsed him. I’ve made mistakes. I didn’t listen to my campaign person.”
In recent weeks, Santos has become the most notorious fabulist and fabricator in Congress because he has lied about many aspects of his life. The Long Island Republican claimed earlier this month that he only told fellow GOPers on the Island that he went to college because they wouldn’t have endorsed him if they knew he only had a high school diploma. He is facing expulsion from Congress and is central to the Dems’ renewed bid to retake the House.
Santos has insisted he’s learned from his mistakes and has made “peace” with them.
“I’m human; I’ve made mistakes,” Santos, whose district also includes a slice of Queens, said this month. “I’ve made peace with those mistakes, and I’ve come clean on those mistakes.”
On Monday, Holden also acknowledged that he made a mistake — in backing the serial liar — but stopped short of rescinding his endorsement.
Despite Holden’s admission that he erred, fellow Queens Dems weren’t having it.
When asked about Holden maintaining his endorsement, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards slammed the city lawmaker. “Here’s someone who clearly has a record of lying, cheating and stealing,” said Richards, referring to Santos. “Anybody who hasn’t rescinded an endorsement of Santos, we should question their moral character and why.”
Assemblyman Juan Ardila (D-Queens) said he wasn’t surprised by Holden’s stance, given his support of other Republicans.
“It’s not the first time he’s endorsed Republicans. He endorsed Lee Zeldin,” Ardila said of Holden’s support for last year’s Republican gubernatorial nominee. “He says he’s a Democrat. If he really is a Democrat, he should step up.”