McCarthy Says Santos Will Be Seated on Committees

Rep. George Santos will be seated on House committees despite being entangled in numerous controversies, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy confirmed Tuesday. "We will be done with all committees today—he will get seated on committees," McCarthy said of the freshman Republican lawmaker, per the Guardian. Santos, who has admitted lying about his background, is facing multiple investigations, including campaign finance complaints. Last week, McCarthy said he wouldn't seat Santos on top committees that handle classified information, though he didn't address calls for Santos to resign from Republicans in the Long Island district Santos represents.

McCarthy said Santos was "elected to serve" and concerns about him should be dealt with through the House ethics process, the Hill reports. McCarthy said his staff members raised concerns during Santos' campaign, when a fundraiser reportedly pretended to be McCarthy's chief of staff in calls to top donors. "My staff raised concerns when he had a staff member who impersonated my chief of staff, and that individual was let go when Mr. Santos found out about it," McCarthy said. (A possible link between Santos and a Russian oligarch emerged Monday.)