Moderate Republicans 'complicit in defrauding' voters for not booting Santos: Congressman

Moderate Republicans who fear the fringes of the GOP and have failed to hold George Santos (R) accountable for purported misdeeds are "complicit" with him in defrauding voters, according to New York Rep. Ritchie Torres (D).

Torres, who proposed new legislation last year named after his embattled GOP colleague, was speaking to Joy Reid of The ReidOut on MSNBC on Tuesday. When asked by the host about Santos and his position in the Republican House, Torres said Santos "was the decisive vote in the Republican bill to default on America."

"He was the decisive vote. And so even though Republicans ran on a platform of draining the swamp, Republicans refuse to drain the greatest swamp of them all, which is the corruption of George Santos," he said. "The reality is that Kevin McCarthy needs every vote he can get, and he needs George Santos to remain in power and sabotage the full faith and credit of the united states."

Reid pointed out that McCarthy has a narrow majority, and asked if Santos would be allowed to stay in power while on trial.

"I would never bet on the integrity of the Republican party, which has a high tolerance for scandal and corruption and criminality," Torres replied. "And George santos to me is not an accident. He's an outgrowth of a broken Republican party whose standard bearer is Donald trump who on the same day was found liable for sexual assault."

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Torres further noted that most Republicans want nothing to do with Santos, but that "the so-called reasonable Republicans live in fear of the extremes and refuse to hold George santos accountable."

As far as I'm concerned, those Republicans who are turning a blind eye to the corruption of George Santos, who are denying voters the representation they deserve, are complicit in defrauding the voters of the United States," he said.

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