Space Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) admitted Monday he “at all times had a couple of questions” concerning the resume of Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), the newly elected congressman who used to be discovered to have lied broadly about his credentials.
“I by no means knew all about his resume or now not, however I at all times had a couple of questions on it,” McCarthy stated, after a reporter requested if he had any inkling concerning the allegations towards Santos sooner than they become public.
The reporter additionally requested about how a Santos staffer used to be stuck impersonating McCarthy’s leader of workforce to make fundraising calls all over Santos’ 2020 and 2022 Space campaigns.
“You recognize, I didn’t find out about that. It took place — I do know they corrected it, however I used to be now not notified about that till a later date,” he stated, noting that he had spoken to Santos about it.
After successful his election in November, and following bombshell media stories, Santos admitted that he lied about components of his paintings revel in, heritage and schooling. Contemporary stories in The New York Occasions and New York Put up indicated that GOP management and a few most sensible Republican aides had been conscious about the fabrications previous to his election.
McCarthy, who recommended Santos and supported his marketing campaign, has downplayed Santos’ fabrications and refused calls to take a look at in addition him from the Space, because the speaker navigates his management of an especially slender majority.
Santos voted for McCarthy in all 15 speaker ballots. Must he be pressured out, McCarthy has no promises the seat can be full of an best friend (or perhaps a Republican).
New York Democratic Reps. Dan Goldman and Ritchie Torres on Sunday demanded that Space GOP leaders expose what they knew concerning the extent of Santos’ dishonesty and cooperate with present and long run investigations into Santos.
“It’s something for a candidate equivalent to Mr. Santos to urge electorate to fortify him in accordance with a internet of lies,” the lawmakers wrote within the letter, which used to be addressed to McCarthy; Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), chair of the Space Republican Convention; and Dan Conston, who heads the Congressional Management Fund PAC. “However it’s altogether one thing else if the highest ranges of Republican management knew about Mr. Santos’s lies all over the marketing campaign and selected to be complicit.”