GOP U.S. Rep. George Santos. (Public domain)
Asked whether he would urge U.S. Rep. George Santos (N.Y.) to resign, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) told reporters the congressman is “part of the Republican conference,” having been duly elected to represent New York’s Third Congressional District.
At the same time, McCarthy said Santos has a “long way to go to earn trust” and acknowledged the specter of an investigation by the House Committee on Ethics pursuant to a complaint filed by two of New York’s Democratic Congressmen — U.S. Reps. Ritchie Torres and Daniel Goldman.
Reporting over the past several weeks has revealed the congressman lied about practically every element of his biography and identity, while multiple law enforcement agencies have initiated investigations into his campaign’s finances.
On Wednesday, more than a dozen elected Republican officials from his district and surrounding areas demanded Santos’ immediate resignation.
Nevertheless, the freshman congressman has been defiant. During his first few days in office, Santos tried to dodge Capitol Hill reporters, but more recently he has vocally and publicly dismissed calls for him to step down.
McCarthy’s comments were echoed by other Republican House leaders, like Majority Leader Steve Scalise (La.), who said “Obviously, you know, we’re finding out more, but we also recognize that he was elected by his constituents.”
House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) said, “It will play itself out,” noting that, “There have been members of Congress on the Democrat side who have faced investigations before.”
However, other Republican members of the House — New York Reps. Nick LaLota, Nick Langworthy, Brandon Williams, Anthony D’Esposito, Marc Molinaro and Mike Lawler, as well as South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace and Ohio Rep. Max Miller — have demanded Santos’s resignation.
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