Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., leaves a House GOP conference meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 25, 2023. Santos told colleagues in a closed-door meeting Tuesday that he is temporarily stepping down from his two congressional committees. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
New York Republican Rep. George Santos is temporarily stepping down from his congressional committee assignments amid ongoing investigations surrounding his fabrications.
The beleaguered representative announced on Tuesday he would be voluntarily removing himself from both the House Committee on Small Business as well as the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Santos faces multiple investigations for lies about his personal, professional, and financial background.
"With the ongoing attention surrounding both my personal and campaign financial investigations, I have submitted a request to Speaker McCarthy that I be temporarily recused from my committee assignments until I am cleared," Rep. Santos said in a statement. "The business of the 118th Congress must continue without media fanfare."
"It is important that I primarily focus on serving the constituents of New York’s Third Congressional District and providing federal level representation without distraction," Santos added.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Santos’ decision was appropriate.
"I met with George Santos yesterday, and I think it was the appropriate decision that until he can clear everything up, that he’s off of committees right now," McCarthy told reporters Tuesday. "Until he answers all those questions, then he’ll be able to be seated on committees."
There have also been new questions surrounding Santos’ treasurer switch and whether or not his reporting to the Federal Election Commision complied with law.
In a letter to the Santos campaign last week, the FEC said if it made any "materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation" in its paperwork, there could be criminal charges.
Santos removing himself from committee assignments comes after a Siena College Research Institute poll found 78 percent of voters in his district believe he should resign.
But Santos told reporters Tuesday he was not considering resigning.
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