- Kevin McCarthy told MSNBC he's always "had a few questions" about George Santos' CV.
- A Santos staffer has been accused of impersonating McCarthy's chief of staff in 2020 and 2022.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he's always had "questions" about beleaguered GOP Rep. George Santos' resume.
Speaking to MSNBC on Monday, McCarthy said: "I never knew all about his resume or not, but I always had a few questions about it."
MSNBC also asked McCarthy about a CNBC report published in January about Sam Miele, a Santos staffer. Miele impersonated McCarthy's chief of staff Dan Meyer during fundraising phone calls while Santos was running for office in 2020 and 2022, CNBC reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
"You know, I didn't know about that. It happened — and I know they corrected it, but I was not notified about that till a later date," he said. McCarthy added that he had spoken to Santos about the impersonation scandal.
—Acyn (@Acyn) January 16, 2023
McCarthy, who has not taken a strong stance against Santos, said on January 11 that he will not force Santos out and will let the "voters decide" what to do with the New York congressman. The voters won't get to vote again on Santos' seat until November 2024.
The scandal-ridden Santos has admitted that he has lied about his education, heritage, and work experience, including made-up stints at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. Questions about the congressman's real name have also been raised after he was seen introducing himself as "Anthony Devolder" in a video clip from 2019.
Prosecutors in Long Island said on December 28 that they have opened an investigation into Santos. Long Island Republicans and the New York State GOP in January also called on Santos to resign, but Santos has refused to do so.
Representatives for Santos and McCarthy did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.