Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Sunday said he thinks Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) could face the same deportation threat as Rep. George Santos (R-NY) as soon as the House ethics review went down.
“I think once the Ethics complaint is filed, he may have the same problems as Santos,” McCarthy told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“I think the conference probably better come together to be able to move forward and get this all done.”
Gaetz has been under review by the House Ethics Committee which is believed to center around allegations including sexual misconduct and illegal drug use.
The committee last week released a stunning report on Santos — who pleaded not guilty to the 23-count indictment — that alleged he “blatantly stole” from his campaign for personal use.
Committee Chairman Michael Guest (R-Miss.) has introduced a motion to expel Santos, which the lower house is expected to take up once it reconvenes after Thanksgiving.
Santos – who has been hit with damning revelations that he made up much of his backstory – has denied the allegations and accused the panel of bias.
Kevin McCarthy recently joined the China Committee.Getty Images
Meanwhile, Gaetz has strenuously denied wrongdoing and criticized his ethics review.
“I am the most investigated person in the United States Congress,” Gaetz said last month. “It seems the Ethics Committee’s interest in me waxes and wanes based on my relationship with the speaker.”
Federal prosecutors earlier this year decided not to prosecute a Florida fire company following a lengthy investigation into alleged encounters with teenage women.
In September, he was cleared of Federal Election Commission charges of using campaign funds to pay legal bills for the investigation.
Last month, Gaetz led a rebellion of eight Republicans who joined a tight-knit Democratic bloc to oust McCarthy as House speaker.
McCarthy has long speculated that Gaetz was motivated by the ethics probe and has claimed that a Florida congressman asked him to intervene in the review, but he refused. Gaetz has denied the allegations.
Matt Gaetz successfully ousted the former speaker last month.AP
The California representative also again denied accusations he rejected another foe Sunday: Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who was among eight Republicans who voted to oust him.
Last week, Burchett accused McCarthy of elbowing him in the gut — in a statement witnessed by an NPR reporter after a House conference meeting.
“If someone was hit, it was not intentional. It’s just a crowded hallway, where everybody’s coming out at the same time,” McCarthy said Sunday.
McCarthy later clarified that he did not accuse Burchett of having the physical encounter.
“If someone gets hit because of a narrow lane, it happens all the time. It was not intentional. I know nobody got punched in the process,” he said.
In addition to the spat last week, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tx.) made waves complaining about the lack of results achieved by House Republicans.
George Santos could be fired from the House of Representatives when it reconvenes after Thanksgiving.REUTERS Tim Burchett initially chases Kevin McCarthy after a dust-up in the hallway.Getty Images
His complaint comes in the context of the recent “staircase” measures to avoid a government shutdown last Friday that has no spending cuts.
McCarthy said he wished he was in the chamber to answer Roy when he made the viral remark.
“We cut $2 trillion. We got a job requirement. We got reform to NEPA, something we haven’t done in 40 years. We are stopping any new IRS agents from being hired this year and $20 billion will go into the future,” McCarthy explained.
Santos has already survived an impeachment effort, the latest being fought by six New York Republicans.
McCarthy did not support the effort at the time, and neither did a group of Democrats.
But a number of Republicans and Democrats who opposed previous efforts have changed their tune, raising the specter of deportation.
Congress needs a two-thirds majority to impeach him.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
