Elise Stefanik nailed for 'running defense' to keep indicted George Santos in Congress

Citing her overwhelming ambition to be a major player in national politics,Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) was called out for remaining silent on indicted Rep. George Santos (R-NY) while New York Republicans are seeking to boot him from Congress.

In a column for MSNBC, analyst Hayes Brown noted that when several prominent New York Republicans attempted to force the issue and get Santos expelled after he was slammed with superseding federal indictments last week, Stefanik was nowhere to be seen.

According to Brown, the woman who serves as the chair of the House Republican Conference after former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) was booted due to her opposition to Donald Trump, is running defense for Santos to the dismay of her colleagues.

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In his column, Brown wrote, "Given Stefanik's leadership position, it feels extremely unlikely that the push to remove Santos will succeed without her support. But she hasn’t spoken in public about Santos since May, soon after his indictment first dropped."

He added that Stefanik, as of late, has been more interested in moving up the GOP leadership ladder than in cleaning house and helping to oust Santos who could turn into a campaign issue for embattled New York GOPers who will be on the ballot next year.

According to Brown, the current chaos in the House as Republicans struggle to pick a new speaker likely plays into Stefanik's political calculus.

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"The jockeying for power among the GOP leadership means that they know that any path to 217 votes, a majority of the House, will likely require his [Santos] support in the face of Democratic opposition," the MSNBC analyst wrote. "And with Stefanik effectively running defense for him, he knows that there’s no way that any vote on kicking him to the curb will garner support from the necessary two-thirds of the House to succeed. As far as hustles go, given the petty and sloppy nature of his alleged crimes, this may be Santos’ most effective con yet."

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