House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he would like to refer the issue of accusations against Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) to the House Ethics Committee to consider.
“What I would like to do is have the House take action and have a process here. So let’s send it to Ethics, which has an equal number of Republicans and Democrats. ... I think they could do this work rather rapidly and come back and report to the full House.”
The House speaker also reiterated previous comments that there’s “a process” and Santos, like other lawmakers who have been accused of crimes, is considered innocent until proven guilty.
The first-term Republican congressman was charged with 13 federal crimes last week following an unrelated accusation of sexual misconduct and his own admission that he lied to constituents about his background.
“George Santos is a fraud and a liar, and he needs to be expelled by the House.
“News that federal prosecutors are filing 13 criminal charges against George Santos should have been the final straw for Kevin McCarthy, but he refuses to act.”
The 13-count indictment, unsealed on May 10, charges Santos with defrauding prospective political supporters by laundering funds to pay for his personal expenses and illegally receiving unemployment benefits while employed.
Prosecutors also allege that he made false statements to the House of Representatives regarding his assets, income, and liabilities.
“This indictment seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said in a statement.
Santos’s office didn’t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.