McCarthy, however, said he would not call on Santos to resign unless he is found guilty in the legal process after he was indicted on fraud charges Wednesday.
Topline
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) gave his strongest rebuke of Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) yet on Wednesday after the freshman congressman was indicted on fraud charges, telling CNN he would not support Santos’ re-election bid next year—though McCarthy said earlier in the day he was not ready to take action to oust him from Congress.Key Facts
McCarthy said “no, I’m not going to support him,” when asked by CNN if he would back Santos’ re-election campaign, adding “Santos has a lot going on.”
McCarthy suggested Santos should not run for office again, telling CNN “I think he has other things to focus on in his life other than running for re-election.”
The House speaker repeated his stance that he would call on Santos to resign if the House Ethics process confirms that he broke the law.
The comments come hours after Santos pleaded not guilty to 13 federal charges on Wednesday, including wire fraud, money laundering and falsifying financial statements to the House of Representatives—charges that come after an extensive lying scandal involving his personal and professional background.
