Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is going to keep George Santos in the House by making sure that the expulsion vote fails.
Video of McCarthy:
Speaker McCarthy told me he would tell House Ethics to proceed with George Santos probe even if DOJ asks panel to stand down. (With past indicted members, DOJ has asked the committee to stand down.) “I don’t want to wait around for how long the court case could take,” he told me pic.twitter.com/igIqBXPy43
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 17, 2023
McCarthy won’t tell the Ethics Committee to stand down as the DOJ investigates, and it looks like he has the votes to refer Santos for a committee investigation:
A sign McCarthy will have the votes to refer Santos expulsion resolution to House Ethics. Freshman GOP Rep. Mike Lawler says he will vote to refer to committee. Dems, including Jeffries, are expected to oppose referral to ethics to try to force expulsion vote now
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 17, 2023
All of this is a delay tactic by McCarthy because he needs Santos’s vote in the House. Kevin McCarthy is keeping a felony indicted congressman in the House because his majority is too small, and he can’t afford a single lost vote.
McCarthy’s behavior and the House Republicans following him off this cliff are disgraceful.
Speaker McCarthy is showing no respect for the House as an institution. It could be months, a year, or even longer before the ethics investigation is completed.
For the good of the country, George Santos should never have been seated in the House. One of the tasks that voters must accomplish in 2024 is to restore decency and the rule of law back to the House by getting rid of the Republican majority.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
