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Kevin McCarthy defends George Santos: ‘I’m standing by him’ | USA TODAY #Shorts

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy explained his decision to “stand by” Rep. George Santos, who has admitted to lying about his personal and professional background.

RELATED: Kevin McCarthy ‘standing by’ George Santos amid federal investigation https://bit.ly/3JdeTfI

Speaker Kevin McCarthy explained Tuesday night how Rep. George Santos could exit Congress through the House Ethics Committee, though he has continued to stick by the embattled freshman Republican from New York.

“If for some way when we go through Ethics and he has broken the law, then we will remove him, but it’s not my role,” McCarthy said. “I believe in the rule of law. A person’s innocent until proven guilty.”

The speaker elaborated on the issue to reporters this week in his most extensive comments about Santos since members were sworn in earlier this month. McCarthy could not by himself expel Santos from the chamber even if he wanted to – that would take a vote by two-thirds of the House – but he could marshal his caucus for such a vote in the future.

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