WASHINGTON – Rep. George Santos, RN.Y, on Tuesday recused himself from the committee amid several investigations into financial and other issues.
“Due to the continued focus on both my personal and campaign finance investigations, I have requested that Speaker McCarthy temporarily recuse myself from my committee assignments until I am cleared,” Santos said in a statement.
He added: “It was a decision I took very seriously. “The business of the 118th Congress must proceed outside the media. It is important to focus primarily on serving constituents of New York’s Third Congressional District and providing representation at the federal level.
Santos, who has lied about his extensive background and has faced numerous calls for his resignation from Congress, has been given a seat on the House Small Business and Science Committees. He told reporters on Tuesday that he was not planning to leave office.
He shared the decision during a closed-door meeting with the House GOP conference Tuesday morning, Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, RN.Y., told reporters at a press conference afterward.
However, Santos did not go far enough in the eyes of two Republicans representing congressional districts on Long Island.
“This is a typical case where someone quit before they were fired,” he said. Representatives Nick LaLotta and Anthony D’Esposito in a joint statement. “We and the vast majority of Long Islanders we represent are relieved to see Santos no longer sitting on committees. He should still do the right thing and resign. House Republicans.”
In a poll released Tuesday from Newsday and Siena College, 71% of voters in Santos’ district believe Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., should not have placed Santos on the two committees and 78% believe he should resign from Congress. Asked whether Santos should step down on Tuesday, Stefanik said “the process will show itself” in the next election.
Santos is under investigation by the Nassau County district attorney and federal prosecutors in New York. Federal officials are investigating his finances, including irregularities related to financial disclosures and campaign loans, law enforcement sources said. The state attorney general’s office said it is “looking into several cases” regarding Santos.
The embattled congressman met with McCarthy on Monday night. Speaking separately to reporters Tuesday, McCarthy asked Santos if the speaker could recuse himself from the committee’s work. “I think it was the right decision,” McCarthy said.
Santos told reporters on Tuesday that McCarthy did not request his resignation. “Nobody is telling me what to do, I make my own decisions,” he said.
The McCarthy-led GOP Steering Committee voted earlier this month to give openings to Santos, two of the lowest-profile positions on Capitol Hill.
“Voters elected him and he will have a vote here in Congress, and until he answers all those questions, then he can sit in committees,” McCarthy said of the investigations Santos faces.
Members of both parties have expressed concern that Santos should have access to classified information in his work on committees. At the same time, all the legislative bodies can regularly sit on the statements made by the administrative authorities.
Last week, when McCarthy stood by Santos, he said the former congressman would be removed from office if the House Ethics Committee found he violated the law.
Santos was first investigated after The New York Times published a bombshell investigation in December in which many of his records appear to have been fabricated, including claims that he has vast assets, previously employed by Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, and shows that he graduated from Baruch College. . He also lied about how his mother was at the World Trade Center during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The congressman has repeatedly said he plans to clear up the inconsistencies, but has not followed through on his promises.
Summer Concepcion And Ryan Nobles contributed.