McCarthy Draws Red Line in Santos Saga

(NewsReady.com) – Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is a lightning rod for controversy in the 118th Congress. The conservative lawmaker has admitted to multiple lies. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has listened to his district’s voters and allowed him a seat on two committees. However, the congressional leader has made it clear that he will take action if necessary.

On Tuesday, January 24, Axios reported McCarthy spoke to reporters about Santos at a press conference outside of the speaker’s office. He told the press that the House Ethics Committee is investigating the Republican lawmaker. If the committee determines the freshman congressman “has broken the law, then we will remove him.”

McCarthy says if the Ethics Committee finds George Santos broke the law “then we will remove him.”

— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) January 24, 2023

McCarthy went on to stress that he doesn’t have the power to remove someone from “elected office” just because he doesn’t agree with the comments they have made, false or otherwise.

The press conference came the same day Santos’ political operation filed amended his campaign finance reports. Originally, his reports said that he loaned $500,000 to his campaign from his personal account when he ran for office last year. However, the newly amended filing now indicates he did not give the money to his campaign. Another campaign filing shows an additional loan of $125,000 that also did not come from the congressman.

Other questions about Santos’ campaign finances have been raised in recent weeks. For example, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show the congressman listed at $199.99, just one penny less than the threshold of $200. For instance, Santos claimed he spent $199.99 on an Uber, and the filing shows multiple Best Buy, Delta, and BJ’s Wholesale transactions for $199.99.

The lawmaker has repeatedly refused calls to resign, including from his own party and district. He has said he will only step down if all of the voters who elected him to office demand he leaves.