Kevin McCarthy: I won't back George Santos if he runs for re-election

Speaking to CNN congressional correspondent Manu Raju on Wednesday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said he will not support Rep. George Santos (R-NY) if he runs for re-election.

“No, I'm not going to support him," McCarthy told Raju. "Santos has a lot going on. I think he has other things to focus on in his life other than running for re-election.”

McCarthy has consistently stopped short of calling on Santos to resign. However, he told Raju that he would do so if the House Ethics Committee also concludes he broke the law.

Santos, a controversial freshman Republican who has admitted to fabricating almost every aspect of his personal background on the campaign trial, was indicted this week on 13 federal charges including wire fraud, money laundering, and false statements. Prosecutors allege, among other things, that Santos fraudulently used pandemic funds to pay off credit cards and buy designer clothing, and that he obscured these funds on financial disclosure forms while running for Congress.

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Santos denies all of these allegations and has pleaded not guilty.

Lawmakers in both parties have called on him to resign, including several of his fellow Republican representatives from New York. However, Santos resigning or being expelled would further complicate McCarthy's job, as he already has an extremely narrow Republican majority and Democrats are expected to be highly competitive in a special election for his seat.