"If 142,000 people ask for me to resign, I will resign"

After flatly rejecting calls to step down, embattled Rep. George Santos told reporters on Thursday, “If 142 people ask for me to resign, I’ll resign.”

He later told ABC News that he meant “142,000 voters who voted for me” would have to ask for him to resign, though according to the New York Board of Elections he received a total of 145,824 votes.

“The elevator cut that,” Santos said.

Santos followed up by saying he basically meant he would not resign.

[Santos has been insisting all along that voters gave him the seat in Congress for this term, and that voters can decide what he did with it two years from now. That’s a defensible argument, especially in an era where personal honor and integrity unfortunately seem to be passé. — Ed]