Two congressional Democrats on Wednesday called on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to limit access to sensitive information for Republicans.
“Rep. George Santos has clearly betrayed the public’s trust on numerous occasions,” said Rep. Joseph Morrell and Gregory Meeks, both from Santos’ own New York state. said in a letter to McCarthy.
“His unfettered access to our country’s secrets poses a grave risk to the national security of this country,” the Democrats wrote. “We urge you to act quickly to prevent George Santos from abusing his position and endangering our country.”
Santos’ office did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the letter.
Just weeks after winning congressional elections in November’s midterm elections, Santos admitted to lying about important details of his personal life and work history. I apologized for “embellishing” my resume However, he denies having committed the crime.
But as Meeks and Morrell state in their letter, Santos is embroiled in local, state, federal, and international troubles. ResearchThey also recently flagged Report on Santos’ alleged relationship to figures related to sanctioned Russian oligarchs, among other issues.
“Many allegations about his behavior over the decades have cast doubt on his character and suggest that he cannot be trusted with sensitive or sensitive information that could threaten the national security of the United States. are doing.
Republican officials in New York have accused Santos of being a liar and a fraud, and some Republican lawmakers have called on him to resign. Santos has vowed to complete his two-year term, arguing that his constituency’s voters should decide his political destiny.
McCarthy, who leads a slim House majority that Santos’ resignation could shrink further, agreed with that policy and refused to participate in his party’s blatant criticism of the new recruits.
“Do you know why I support him? Because his voters voted for him.” McCarthy told reporters on TuesdayRepublican leaders have said Santos will be removed from the House only if the Ethics Committee determines he has broken the law.
A spokesman for McCarthy did not immediately comment on the Democratic letter.
Republican Steering Committee Led by McCarthy Got a spot for Santos last week About the Science, Space and Technology Committee and the Small Business Committee.
A Wednesday letter from Morrell and Meeks asked McCarthy to limit Santos’ ability to access classified material.
Democrats appeared to acknowledge that Santos was assigned to a low profile committee, but noted that he may still have access to a range of classified information.
“As it stands, members are not permitted unrestricted access to confidential information, but are not required to obtain security clearances or sign non-disclosure agreements,” they wrote. .
“Rep. George Santos has been assigned to a committee that has jurisdiction over only some of our nation’s national security and foreign policy agendas, but this does not mean that he can give secure briefings or classified documents on a wide range of topics at any time. I will not stop or prevent you from demanding,” they said.
Santos’ “distrust may justify slowing or limiting certain sensitive information that intelligence agencies share with Congress,” they told McCarthy in a letter.
They argued that “this could have a significant impact on the legislative branch’s ability to carry out its legislative, oversight, and investigative mandates for classified programs in the executive branch.”
The Democratic letter comes amid growing controversy over the removal of classified documents from secure locations by prominent politicians.
Mike Pence’s attorney said Tuesday that classified documents were found at the former vice president’s Indiana home. It was seen as a relief to President Joe Biden, who was under intense scrutiny after prompting the appointment of
Last summer, the FBI raided former President Donald Trump’s Florida home and removed thousands of pages of records, including many classified documents, after the Justice Department said it had found evidence of obstruction of an investigation.
Trump has announced that he will run for president again in 2024, but it is widely speculated that both Pence and Biden are preparing to launch their own campaigns.
