Constituents Demand Action from Speaker McCarthy Over Rep. Santos’s Controversies
On Tuesday, dozens of constituents of embattled Republican Rep. George Santos of New York’s 3rd Congressional District traveled to the Capitol in Washington to call for his resignation or expulsion from the House of Representatives.[0] They were joined by Representatives Dan Goldman and Ritchie Torres, who filed an ethics complaint against Santos early last month.[1]
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told CNN that “ethics is moving through, and if Ethics finds something, we’ll take action.”[2] He also said that he is currently not allowing Santos to be on committees “from the standpoint of the questions that have arisen.”[3] The group of constituents then delivered a petition to Santos’s office, McCarthy’s office, and the office of Michael Guest, the Republican chair of the ethics committee.[4]
Santos has been widely criticized for lying about multiple parts of his resume, including his education, work experience, personal life, and family connections to 9/11 and the Holocaust.[5] He also faces questions about his campaign finances.[6] Despite the controversy, McCarthy has not called for Santos’s resignation, though he has indicated he would support an expulsion if the House Ethics Committee investigation turns up evidence of wrongdoing.[7]
The constituents are demanding that the House Speaker take action and call for a vote to expel Santos. Jody Kass Finkel, coordinator of Concerned Citizens of NY-03, said, “We are here because Speaker McCarthy apparently cannot hear us when we speak from Long Island, so we had to come to Washington to make sure he hears us.”[4] Santos has already stepped down from two House committees and told CNN he is “not concerned” about the ethics investigation, welcoming the protesters and denying that their freedom of speech would be a distraction from his work.[3]
Santos is facing local, federal, and international probes and has been accused of taking $3,000 from a veteran’s dying dog’s GoFundMe campaign.[8] He is also the subject of a complaint to the Federal Election Commission about suspicious campaign expenditures and a mysterious $700,000 loan to his campaign.[9] Despite his lies, McCarthy has not taken action against Santos and the constituents are now taking it upon themselves to demand accountability. It remains to be seen if McCarthy will heed their call.
0. “George Santos Constituents Travel To Washington To Call For House Expulsion” HuffPost, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/george-santos-expel-house_n_63e29a78e4b01a43639792ca
1. “Santos constituents, New York lawmakers gather at Capitol to call for his ouster” The Hill, 7 Feb. 2023, https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3847980-santos-constituents-new-york-lawmakers-gather-at-capitol-to-call-for-his-ouster/
2. “McCarthy confirms Santos is facing House probe | News | kezi.com” KEZI TV, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.kezi.com/news/mccarthy-confirms-santos-is-facing-house-probe/article_a5c089ed-8960-5860-b59a-22ea47294915.html
3. “House Speaker says ethics committee expected to look into complaints against Rep. George Santos” Gothamist, 7 Feb. 2023, https://gothamist.com/news/house-speaker-confirms-rep-george-santos-under-ethics-investigation
4. “Dozens of George Santos’s constituents call for his resignation at US Capitol” The Guardian US, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/07/george-santos-constituents-call-for-resignation-us-capitol
5. “‘The country has been swindled:’ George Santos’s constituents take a bus trip to protest on Capitol Hill” The Independent, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/george-santos-new-york-protest-b2277672.html
6. “George Santos Finally Lands in House Ethics Committee's Hot Seat” Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.newsweek.com/george-santos-finally-lands-house-ethics-committees-hot-seat-1779588
7. “Republican fabulist George Santos IS the focus of an ethics investigation” Daily Mail, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11723633/Republican-fabulist-George-Santos-focus-ethics-investigation.html
8. “Santos' unusual $199.99 campaign expenses are putting scrutiny on his longtime treasurer” CNN, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/politics/george-santos-treasurer/index.html
9. “George Santos’ constituents call for him to resign during D.C. protest” WTOP, 8 Feb. 2023, https://wtop.com/national/2023/02/george-santos-constituents-call-for-him-to-resign-during-d-c-protest
