That was after Santos - rushing to get into an elevator - told reporters on Capitol Hill (quote) "If 142 people ask for me to resign, I will resign."

Then, on a podcast, Santos tried to clarify, saying (quote) "I was elected by 142,000 people. Until those same 142,000 people tell me they don't want me, we'll find out in two years."

Santos has admitted to fabricating much of his resume, including that he holds degrees from New York University and Baruch College and that he had worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

He also claimed he was Jewish and that his grandparents escaped the Nazis during World War Two.

On Wednesday, more than a dozen Republican officials, many of them from Santos' New York district, demanded he step aside.

"George Santos is a fraud." [flash]

"It is a great stain on the Republican Party of Nassau County today that he worked with us." [flash]

"George, I'm speaking to you. It's time to step down."

MCCARTHY: "He's got a long way to go to earn trust."

But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Thursday refused to call on the first year Congressman to give up his seat, and said he would leave Santos' fate up to the Ethics Committee and voters.

"There are concerns of whether so he will go before ethics. If anything is found to be wrong, he will be held accountable exactly as anybody else in this body would be. That is the fair way to handle anything to go. And that's how I deal with any single issue that ever comes forward."