Jan 24, 2023 - Politics & Policy

McCarthy says Santos will be removed if probe finds he broke law

Andrew Solender

Representative from New York, George Santos looks on as the US House of Representatives convenes for the 118th Congress at the US Capitol January 3. — Rep. George Santos at the U.S. Capitol this month. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday said Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) will be removed from Congress if the House Ethics Committee finds he broke the law.

Why it matters: It's the closest McCarthy has come to outlining potential consequences for the Long Island freshman amid a battery of investigations into revelations he fabricated huge swaths of his resume.

In addition to the internal House Ethics probe, federal, state and local investigators are also probing various elements of the resume scandal for potential law-breaking.

What he’s saying: "If for some way when we go through Ethics and he has broken the law, then we will remove him," McCarthy told reporters at a press conference outside his Capitol office on Tuesday.

Still, McCarthy said he will protect his embattled colleague for the moment. "You know why I’m standing by him? Because his constituents voted for him," he said.
"I do not have the power, simply because I disagree with somebody on what they have said, that I will remove them from elected office."

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McCarthy says Santos will be removed if probe finds he broke law

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