Santos steps away from committee assignments for now
Rep. George Santos, the embattled firstterm Republican from New York, told his colleagues Tuesday morning that he would temporarily recuse himself from sitting on congressional committees, the first crack in his defiant stance as he faces multiple investigations and calls from members of his party to resign.
Santos, who since being elected in November has admitted to fabricating parts of his resume and is under scrutiny for what appears to have been a yearslong pattern of deception, was named in the new Congress to serve on the committees on small business and on science, space and technology.
Republicans have made no move to penalize him, even in the face of a litany of revelations about his conduct that he has refused to address.
His decision to step down from his committees came after he met privately with Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday night.
McCarthy told reporters Tuesday that Santos had brought up the idea and that it was an “appropriate decision” for now, “until he could clear everything up.”
“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,” Santos said in a statement later on Tuesday, adding that the decision would give him time to “properly clear my name before returning to my committees.”
Santos' move comes as McCarthy is attempting to persuade Republicans to vote to oust Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and just a week after he unilaterally blocked Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, both California Democrats, from serving on the House committee overseeing intelligence matters.
Democrats have criticized McCarthy for allowing Santos, who is under federal and local investigation in the United States and faces fraud charges in Brazil, to serve on panels while removing members of their party who are not accused of any crimes.
The decision by Santos appeared calculated, at least in part, to insulate Republicans against charges of hypocrisy before they turn to the task of trying to remove Omar from a committee seat.