House Republicans are concerned that the new charges against Representative George Santos will create an unwelcome distraction for the party.
Several GOP lawmakers have renewed calls for the New York congressman to resign and expressed concern that a prosecution will shift voters' attention away from the Republican agenda.
On Wednesday, Representative Steve Womack told CNN's Manu Raju that the GOP doesn't "need these distractions," while Representative Nick LaLota said that Santos would take the focus away from "things like border, China and debt."
Earlier in the morning, Santos surrendered to authorities at a federal court on New York's Long Island after an unsealed indictment revealed he was being charged with wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and lying to the House of Representatives in federal disclosure forms.
Santos, a freshman congressman who represents a district that includes parts of Long Island and Queens, has faced immense scrutiny during his short time in office. Just weeks after he was elected last November, numerous news outlets reported that he fabricated large parts of his biography, including his education, employment and ancestry.
He has been under investigations in multiple jurisdictions, including probes led by federal, state and local authorities, as well as by the House Ethics Committee. On Wednesday, Republican Representative Ryan Zinke called on the House panel to "act on it now," telling Raju he would be "absolutely on board" with a decision to expel Santos from Congress.
LaLota said that Santos "needs to go right away" and that he hopes the congressman will resign on his own accord.
Fellow freshman congressman Michael Lawler, who is also a New York Republican, told Newsweek in a statement that in light of the new charges, "I reiterate my call for George Santos to step down."
Asked about the indictment, GOP Senator Mitt Romney told The Washington Post, "He should resign immediately. He should have resigned a long time ago."
Some Republicans are concerned that the latest Santos developments will detract from the GOP's efforts to bring immigration-related and economic issues to the attention of Americans.
"[Santos is] a complete embarrassment," LaLota said. "The nation's focusing on solutions that matter, not George Santos."
Because the charges don't affect Santos' status as a member of Congress, Republican strategist Alex Patton told Newsweek, it's unlikely that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy would move to expel him before he is potentially found guilty of any crimes.
"As long as Kevin McCarty needs his vote to remain speaker, [Santos'] indictments are likely to have little to no effect," Patton said. "At least until the next election."
McCarthy, who cannot afford to lose more than four GOP votes in the House, has said that he would look into the charges before making any determinations.
"If a person is indicted, they're not on committees. They have the right to vote, but they have to go to trial," McCarthy told reporters on Wednesday.
There are no laws or precedents that require members of Congress to resign after being indicted. Former Republican Representatives Jeff Fortenberry, Duncan Hunter and Chris Collins remained in office until they were either convicted or pleaded guilty.
Democratic Senator Robert Menendez was indicted in 2015 on bribery charges, but the case was declared a mistrial and he continues to serve in the Senate.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more
