House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) Tuesday explained the situation in the House will remove the newly elected serial liar Rep. George Santos (RN.Y.) from Congress.
“If in some way when we go through Ethics and he has broken the law, then we will remove him,” McCarthy said, according to The Hill.
McCarthy has so far resisted calls to oust Santos, even from members of his own party, saying he was elected by voters in his district and has a duty to serve them.
“They have a responsibility to protect what they voted for, to be able to work and have a voice here, but at any time, if it rises to a legal level, we will deal with it,” McCarthy said.
The timeline for the McCarthy Ethics investigation is unclear, as is whether a formal investigation by the committee has been conducted.
McCarthy has designated Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.) to chair the committee.
New York Democratic Reps. Dan Goldman and Ritchie Torres filed complaints with the Ethics Committee earlier this month, calling for an investigation into Santos’ financial disclosures.
“Mr. Santos’ financial disclosure reports in 2020 and 2022 are rare and confusing. they wrote. “At least, it is clear that he did not file a timely disclosure report for the latest campaign. In addition, the public statement itself has denied some of the information included in the 2022 financial disclosure and confirmed that the 2022 financial disclosure failed to reveal other required information.
He is also accused of violating campaign finance laws, in a complaint the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Aside from several state and federal investigations Santos faces, he is the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil.
Santos has admitted to fabricating some aspects of his academic and educational records. He claimed to have studied at Baruch College and New York University, but both institutions have no record of his attendance. He also said he worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, but neither company had records of his employment.
Instead, McCarthy appointed him to two committees: the Small Business Committee and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
However, the Republican speaker refused to appoint Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff, both from California, to the House Intelligence Committee.
“Integrity is more important,” McCarthy wrote in a letter notifying House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.) of his decision, with critics pointing to the hypocrisy of extremist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on both committees. surveillance and Homeland Security and McCarthy’s treatment of Santos.
McCarthy previously said he “always had some questions” about Santos’ resume despite endorsing him and supporting his campaign.
Santos was among the Republicans who chose not to attend a White House reception held for first-time lawmakers on Tuesday.