New Speaker of the House Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Sunday completely ignored questions about serial Republican liar Rep. George Santos, insisting instead that the real problem is a "broken" Congress.
Santos has been appointed to two House committees, even though the Long Island lawmaker has blatantly lied about his heritage, his family, his education, his resume - and apparently campaign financing. The Justice Department has signaled that it has already launched a criminal investigation into his funding, The Washington Post reported last week.
McCarthy just bounced Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell of California off the House Intelligence Committee because he said that their level of "genuine honesty" and "integrity" were unacceptable.
CBS News host Margaret Brennan asked McCarthy on "Face The Nation" Sunday about the wisdom of granting committee assignments to Santos given his history.
"You want to bring up Santos, and let's talk about the institution itself, because I agree wholeheartedly that Congress is broken," McCarthy replied, referring to nothing Brennan had said about Congress.
"I'm asking you about George Santos," Brennan clarified. "Because you could put it to a vote to try to oust him..."
McCarthy fired back: "You asked me a question. I'd appreciate if you let me answer ... Congress is broken based upon what has transpired in the last Congress," he added in a total non sequitur. "What I'm trying to do is open the people's house back for the people so their voice is there ― so people are held accountable."
A dogged Brennan pressed: "If you got a third of your caucus to vote to oust him, you could do so."
"I wasn't finished answering the question," McCarthy responded. "What I'm trying to do is change some of these committees, like the Intel Committee is different than any other committee..."
"So you're just not going to answer the question I asked?" Brennan interrupted.
He didn't.
In the latest Santos investigation, Mother Jones magazine reported that it was unable to confirm the existence of at least a dozen contributors listed on his campaign finance records as donating significant amounts of money to his last race in 2020.
Brennan also scorched McCarthy's call to put Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on a new subcommittee to investigate the origins of COVID-19, even though she has pushed twisted COVID conspiracy theories and compared mask requirements to help prevent the spread of a deadly pandemic to the Nazi treatment of Jews.
Watch Brennan hold McCarthy's feet to the flames on "Face the Nation" below. McCarthy ducks all questions on Santos beginning at 13:12.
Related...
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DOJ Signals Launch Of George Santos Criminal Probe After Telling FEC To Stand Down: Report
George Santos Campaign Committee Claims It 'Hired' New Treasurer Who Says It Didn't
Kevin McCarthy Denies Committee Seats To Eric Swalwell And Adam Schiff
