House Speaker Kevin McCarthy confirmed to CNN’s Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju that he’s no longer backing George Santos’ reelection.
“No, I’m not going to support him,” McCarthy said.
“Santos has a lot going on. I think he has other things to focus on in his life, other than running for reelection,” he added.
Republican leadership is not calling on Santos to resign yet. “He was already removed from all his committees,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., explained at a news conference. “In America, there is a presumption of innocence, but they’re serious charges. He’s going to have to go through the legal process.”
The indictment against Santos lists 13 charges against the freshman lawmaker, including money laundering, stealing public money, wire fraud and lying to Congress in federal disclosure forms.
After securing his release on a $500,000 bond, the Long Island Republican defended himself at a post-arrest press conference.
The Hill has more:
Santos pleaded not guilty to all charges on Wednesday and told reporters that he would work to clear his name.
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Santos decided to temporarily step aside from his committee assignments in January while the controversy is ongoing to avoid serving as a “distraction.”
McCarthy said he would call on Santos to resign if an investigation from the House Ethics Committee finds that he broke the law.
A red wave rolled over Long Island in 2022, pushing Santos to victory in New York’s 3rd Congressional District. Amid his many scandals, New York Republicans have been among his fiercest detractors.
Multiple candidates have announced their campaigns to challenge Santos, including Republican and Afghan War veteran Kellen Curry.
“I am everything that he wants to be,” Curry said of Santos at his announcement.
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