There's nothing in the Constitution that stops someone who's been accused or even convicted of a crime from serving in Congress. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said he would not pressure Santos to resign over these federal charges, but that he might reconsider Santos' work to be convicted. In America, we'll just follow up the same pattern we always have, right? If a person is indicted, they're not on committees, they have the right to vote, but they have to go trial. And so far, Santos has been a fairly reliable vote for McCarthy.
Last year, Times reporting revealed the many lies that the freshman Republican congressman George Santos had told about his life and career. Now he is facing legal consequences.
Michael Gold, who covers politics in New York for The Times, explains the charges against Mr. Santos and what they mean for his role in Congress.
Guest: Michael Gold, a New York politics correspondent for The New York Times.
Background reading:
- George Santos pleaded not guilty to charges that included accusations of fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits.
- The George Santos indictment, annotated.
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