Comer labels Santos a ‘bad guy’: ‘It’s pretty despicable, the lies that he told’

New House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) on Sunday called Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) a “bad guy” amid multiple reports that the freshman congressman lied about his professional and educational background on the campaign trail, but declined to weigh in on whether Santos should step down.

“Look, he’s a bad guy. This is something that, you know, it’s really bad,” Comer told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Comer said he hasn’t yet introduced himself to Santos “because, you know, it’s pretty despicable the lies that he tells,” but still downplayed the matter.

“He’s not the first politician, unfortunately, to make it to Congress to lie. You know, Elizabeth Warren wasn’t truthful about her ethnicity, and I could go on and on. But look, George Santos was duly elected by the people,” Comer said.

A small but growing group of House Republicans have called for Santos’s resignation over the lies, which reportedly included false claims that he’d earned a college degree and worked with top Wall Street Firms.

Santos is now under federal investigation over his campaign finances, but lawmakers are also calling for his resume claims to be investigated by authorities or the House Ethics Committee.

“I think that Santos is being examined thoroughly. It’s his decision whether or not he should resign. It’s not my decision, but certainly I don’t approve of how he made his way to Congress,” Comer said on Sunday.

“But at the end of the day, it’s not up to me or any other member of Congress to determine whether he can be kicked out for lying and now if he broke campaign finance laws, then he will be removed from Congress,” Comer said.