House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) implied that Rep. George Santos (R-NY) should not run for reelection following his arrest on multiple finance charges on Wednesday.
McCarthy shared the remarks during an interview with CNN after the report of Santos being charged on 13 counts related to various financial concerns from prior to his time in office.
Kevin McCarthy implies lying Rep. George Santos should drop re-election bid https://t.co/7yEjshxaLp pic.twitter.com/2spB3mF1Rn
— New York Post (@nypost) May 10, 2023
"No, I'm not going to support him," McCarthy told the network's chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju.
"Santos has a lot going on. I think he has other things to focus on in his life other than running for re-election," he added.
Full exchange McCarthy says he will not support Santos in his re-election bid @mkraju pic.twitter.com/44y0vFcpju
— Haley Talbot (@haleytalbotcnn) May 10, 2023
"The openly gay lawmaker allegedly embezzled $50,000 in campaign money for designer duds and personal expenses, cheating his way to COVID unemployment pay and lying to Congress about his income," according to the New York Post.
"Santos entered a 'not guilty' plea and was released from federal custody on a $500,000 bond hours after he turned himself into a Central Islip court," it added.
Santos has repeatedly claimed that he will not resign from Congress, a statement that he repeated following posting bond on Wednesday.
The New York Republican also argued that he has no plans to end his campaign for reelection and has claimed that he will soon return to leading a committee in the House.
The lawmaker's claims serve as part of a difficult week for Republicans. Former President Donald Trump was found liable on Tuesday in a New York court in the sexual assault of E. Jean Carroll, requiring him to pay $5 million in charges.
The problems with Santos add to the complications for the party, but in the case of the New York representative, the party is larger not supporting him in his efforts to clear his name.
