George Santos puts GOP in a tight spot
by Emily Brooks - 12/29/22 6:00 AM ET
Rep.-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.) has put Republicans in a pickle: How do party leaders deal with his fabrications and misrepresentations without jeopardizing their slim majority or setting a precedent?
The answer so far, for the most part, is to say nothing and let Santos speak for himself — and perhaps to let voters decide Santos’s fate in 2024.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Tom Emmer (Minn.) and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) have not commented on the revelations surrounding Santos’s background and falsehoods.
The reality is that a slim incoming majority of 222 GOP seats to 212 Democratic seats and one vacancy leaves Republicans little political incentive to come down hard on Santos, as they might need his vote to pass their priorities.
And McCarthy, who is facing opposition from a handful of hard-line House Republicans threatening to sink his Speaker bid, may need Santos’s vote to secure the Speakership on Jan. 3. Santos expressed support for McCarthy for Speaker in a tweet last week that has since been deleted.
McCarthy did not answer questions about Santos in the Capitol last week, and House GOP leaders did not respond to or comment on Santos on Wednesday.
“He’s eventually going to pay a price,” one Republican strategist said of Santos, speaking on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly. “But he’s not going to pay a price at least until after the Speaker vote because of the tight majority.”
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https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3791270-george-santos-puts-gop-in-a-tight-spot/
