McCarthy seeks ethics probe of Santos.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Calls for Ethics Committee to Consider Accusations Against Rep. George Santos

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has announced that he wants to refer the issue of accusations against Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) to the House Ethics Committee for consideration. McCarthy made the statement to reporters on May 16, stating that he doesn’t want to wait around for the courts to act.

“What I would like to do is have the house take action and have a process here. So let’s send it to ethics, which has an equal number of Republicans and Democrats. I think they could do this work rather rapidly and come back and report to the full House.”

The House Speaker also reiterated that there is “a process” and that Santos, like other lawmakers who have been accused of crimes, is considered innocent until proven guilty.

Pressure on House Republicans to Take Action Against Santos

Earlier that day, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) tried to force a vote on a resolution to expel the New York lawmaker, increasing pressure on House Republicans to take action against Santos. The first-term Republican congressman was charged with 13 federal crimes last week following an unrelated accusation of sexual misconduct and his own admission that he lied to constituents about his background.

“I’m starting the process of forcing a floor vote on our resolution to expel George Santos from the U.S. House of Representatives,” Garcia said on Twitter. “Republicans will now have a chance to demonstrate to the American people that an admitted liar and criminal should not serve in Congress.

“George Santos is a fraud and a liar, and he needs to be expelled by the House,” Garcia said in his statement posted to Twitter.

What Happens Next?

It remains to be seen what the House Ethics Committee will decide regarding the accusations against Rep. George Santos. However, the pressure is mounting for House Republicans to take action and demonstrate their commitment to upholding ethical standards in Congress.

• Will the House Ethics Committee recommend expulsion for Santos?
• How will House Republicans respond to the growing pressure to take action?
• What impact will this situation have on the upcoming midterm elections?

These are just a few of the questions that remain unanswered as this story continues to develop.