George Santos tells House Republicans he will recuse himself from sitting on committees
WASHINGTON (WABC) — Rep. George Santos told House Republicans during a closed door meeting Tuesday morning that he would recuse himself from sitting on any committees.
Santos was recently assigned two committees — the House Small Business Committee and the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.
The news comes as he faces mounting controversies over his past falsehoods, scrutiny of his finances and investigations in the U.S. and in Brazil.
ALSO READ | The saga of Rep. George Santos: Inside his many fabrications, exaggerations, and embellishments
In a chaotic scrum, reporters chased Santos from his office Tuesday, down the stairs and outside the Capitol to his car.
Reporters asked if he made the decision to step away from the committees on his own or if he was asked to by the House speaker.
“Nobody tells me to do anything, I made the decision on my own that I thought best represented- in interest of the voters,” Santos said.
New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, who supported the embattled congressman’s campaign on Long Island, said Santos told them during a closed-door meeting he is voluntarily removing himself.
Santos was spotted leaving House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s office Monday and wouldn’t comment about any potential meeting between the two.
On Tuesday morning, Speaker McCarthy confirmed that George Santos said he would recuse himself from committees but indicated if he were to fill the committee seats it would be on a temporary basis.
“If I fill them it will be on a temporary basis he would be able to get committees back once he’s cleared,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy reiterated that the House Ethics committee will have questions about many of these concerns and once he answers those questions he may be able to be seated on committees.
“I think it was an appropriate decision that until he can clear everything up he’s off the committees,” McCarthy said, adding that they discussed the matter during a meeting Monday.
McCarthy wouldn’t say explicitly whether he encouraged him to step aside from his committee assignments but told reporters, “I think we had a good discussion inside the meeting” and said Santos found this decision was the best way forward.
Santos released the following statement later Tuesday afternoon:
“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. This was a decision that I take very seriously. 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. I want to personally thank Speaker McCarthy for meeting with me to discuss the matter and allowing me to take time to properly clear my name before returning to my committees. To my constituents, I remain committed to serving the district, and delivering results for both New York’s Third Congressional District and for the American people.”
The news comes as another protest and rally took place outside Santos’ district office in Queens. Protesters are calling on the FEC to investigate ghost donors found in his campaign filing.
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