George Santos could be a major GOP liability in 2024: Commentator
Efforts to expel Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from Congress stalled when Republicans in May referred a Democratic-led expulsion resolution to the Ethics Committee, effectively shielding GOP House members from having to vote on the matter.
The measure followed Santos’ 13-count indictment over allegations he misled donors and stole from his campaign. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Molly Jong-Fast writes for Vanity Fair that: “Well, it’s now half way through said August recess, and Santos appears to have only faded into the background; he’s still in his congressional seat, tweeting about the Biden family (claiming he knows the 'players' and 'sources' behind some undefined Hunter Biden smoking gun), (expletive)-talking Michael Cohen, and complaining about mean people on Twitter ('I believe in Karma,' Santos tweeted)."
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"Of course, the words 'ethics committee' and 'move rapidly' do not really belong in the same sentence and perhaps we all knew deep down that this call for a rapid ethics investigation was merely a stalling tactic. After all, unlike the Office of Congressional Ethics, which has a fixed time frame for investigations, the House Ethics committee does not, and their probes can drag out for months. It’s possible Santos won’t actually be dealt with in the House until around or after the 2024 election.”
Santos remains an a House member despite indictment and House ethics probe, largely because House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, elected to his position by the narrowest of margins, can’t afford to risk losing another vote, Jong-Fast writes.
But although Santos’ presence in the House provides McCarthy some short-term breathing room, he could come back to haunt the GOP next year.
“Republicans nearly swept the tossup races in the 2022 midterms, playing a major role in clinching the House majority,” Jong-Fast writes. “But that also means five other Republican congressmen from the New York delegation now occupy swingy purple seats in districts that Joe Biden won or nearly won. Covering for Santos won’t do them any good.”
“Not that long ago all of them were going scorched earth against Santos—that is until House Republicans side-stepped an up-down vote on whether Santos should keep his seat.”
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