House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met Monday with fact-challenged Rep. George Santos on Capitol Hill amid the cascade of lies offered by the Long Island Republican about his background, fundraising and donors to his campaign.
“Yes, I did,” McCarthy told a CNN reporter when asked if he met with the freshman lawmaker.
Earlier, Santos declined to confirm the meeting when spotted walking out of McCarthy’s office.
Santos, 34, elected Nov. 8 to represent a congressional district that stretches between Nassau County and parts of Queens, is facing calls from Democrats and even his fellow Republicans to step down.
He admitted in a December interview with The Post that he falsified his work experience, his educational background, his family’s heritage and his religious affiliation.
In the weeks since he was sworn-in to Congress on Jan. 7, more questions about his background have surfaced, as has his legal jeopardy as a number of investigations are underway.
The Federal Election Commission warned Santos last week about his campaign replacing its longtime treasurer after the announced replacement denied he agreed to take the job.
And a report over the weekend said more than a dozen large donors listed for Santos’ congressional campaign could not be confirmed.
Despite the questions lingering around Santos lies and investigations into his questionable financial practices, McCarthy named him to the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and the Small Business Committee.
McCarthy, in an interview Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” skirted questions about Santos’ credibility, acknowledging that Congress is “broken.”
“Let’s have that discussion. You want to bring up Santos, and let’s talk about the institution itself, because I agree wholeheartedly that Congress is broken,” McCarthy said. “And I think your listeners or viewers should understand what proxy voting was because it never took place in Congress before.”