Rep. George Santos (R-NY) has asked to be removed from his two committee assignments until his issues are resolved, members of the House GOP Conference told reporters Tuesday.
This follows two House Democrats—Reps. Gregory Meeks and Joe Morelle, both of New York—requesting last week that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) deny Santos access to classified information over his “myriad deceptive actions from his personal and professional life which he used to propel himself into a position of influence and short-lived financial prosperity.”
Among Santos’ legal issues, he is under investigation by New York’s Nassau County District Attorney, the New York State Attorney General’s office, and the federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York.
Santos, who has admitted to fabricating parts of his professional background, is also the target of complaints to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) over his campaign spending and the House Ethics Committee regarding his financial disclosure filings.
McCarthy—who has disclosed that he’d “always had a few questions” about Santos’ resumé—had awarded Santos two committee assignments, Small Business and Space & Technology.
Santos met with McCarthy on Monday night. On Tuesday, following closed-door discussions, the Speaker confirmed the request: “I met with George Santos yesterday and I think it was an appropriate decision that until he could clear everything up he’s off of committees right now.”
This morning, however, when Santos—while coming out of the GOP Conference meeting room—was asked by Politico’s Congressional reporter Olivia Beavers if he was stepping off his committees, he replied, “I don’t know.”
“It sounds to me like it’s temporary…I think until there’s a level of what he thinks the issues he’s a distraction from are over with,” Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX), Chair of the Small Business Committee, told Axios.
Asked whether Santos should resign, GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) replied, “This process is going to play itself out, I’ve already commented on this numerous times. And again, it’s going to play itself out. But ultimately voters are going to make that decision, whether it’s the primary election or the general election.”
