McCarthy stands by Santos amid growing calls for New York Republican to step down
Juliegrace Brufke
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Amid growing calls for embattled freshman Rep. George Santos (R-NY) to step down, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) stood by the New York Republican’s decision to remain in Congress.
Santos has come under fire for fabricating large parts of his background, apparently including his education, work history, finances, and religion. He has also been accused of check fraud in Brazil.
New York GOP Reps. Marc Molinaro, Mike Lawler, Nick LaLota, Nick Langworthy, and Brandon Williams, as well as the Nassau County Republican Committee and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), have called for his resignation, with others raising concerns over whether he will have access to sensitive information through his committee assignments.
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But McCarthy, who must navigate a four-vote majority in the House, said Santos will be held accountable if an Ethics Committee investigation turns up wrongdoing and noted that ultimately, it is up to the voters to determine whether the New York Republican should remain in office.
“Well, what I find is the voters have elected George Santos. If there’s a concern, he will go through [the Ethics Committee]. If there is something that is found, he will be dealt with in that manner. But they have a voice in this process,” he told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.
McCarthy dismissed concerns about Santos being able to receive classified briefings, adding that he will be subject to the same procedures others accused of ethics violations go through before any disciplinary action is taken.
“I don’t see any way that he’s going to have top-secret data,” he continued, referring to Santos. “He’s got a long way to go to earn trust. But the one thing I do know is you apply the Constitution equal to all Americans. The voters of his district have elected him. He is seated. He is part of the Republican Conference.”
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Santos managed to flip his district from blue to red in November, winning a D+2 seat. If he steps down or is pushed out of Congress, Republicans could face an even slimmer majority than they currently hold, which could prove to be problematic for McCarthy as he looks to tackle priorities the conference laid out on the campaign trail.
Santos has repeatedly said he has no plans to resign.