George Santos tells Republicans he won’t serve on committees

New York representative is facing an ethics investigation for misleading voters about his past.

George Santos leaves the Capitol Hill Club in Washington on Tuesday. Picture: AFP

New York Representative George Santos said he would temporarily step aside from his House committees, amid continuing questions about information he has provided about his background and finances.

The embattled Republican is facing an ethics investigation for misleading voters about his past, including his professional experience. He is also facing state and federal investigations into false statements he made during his campaign about his education, work history and ancestry. More questions arose recently regarding the source of six-figure loans to his campaign.

Mr Santos said in a closed-door GOP meeting that he would recuse himself until issues swirling around him are resolved, according to people in the meeting. The announcement came after Mr Santos met privately with house speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday, and Mr McCarthy told reporters that Mr Santos offered to step down from his committee posts.

Mr Santos said he told Mr McCarthy he wanted to recuse himself due to the “ongoing attention surrounding both my personal and campaign financial investigations”. He said the break would allow him to “take time to properly clear my name” before returning to the panels.

Mr McCarthy told reporters that in the Monday meeting Mr Santos offered to step down from his committee posts. Mr Santos hasn’t publicly commented on the decision.

“He’s chosen to be off committees until his situation gets handled at a level that he’s comfortable with and the speaker,” said Roger Williams, the chairman of the small business committee, which Mr Santos was slated to serve on. He was also set to serve on the science and technology panel.

Democrats and some Republicans have called for Mr Santos to resign, and a recent poll shows most of his constituents want him to quit. GOP leaders have backed Mr Santos and have tried to integrate him into the new Congress. Republicans have a slim 222-212 majority, with one vacancy. Mr McCarthy has previously said that voters chose Mr Santos, and that has to be respected.

“This process is going to play itself out,” said Elise Stefanik, a member of GOP leadership, at a press briefing. “But ultimately voters are going to make that decision,” she said.

Democrats welcomed the news. “We have said from the very beginning that George Santos was not fit to serve on any committees,” said Pete Aguilar, a member of party leadership.

The announcement comes as Republican leaders are working to garner enough support to remove Democrat Ilhan Omar from her post on the house foreign affairs committee over past comments that were criticised as anti-Semitic. At least three Republicans have said they oppose such a move, which would require a full house vote, and the matter was discussed at the meeting Tuesday.

“At least some of the members had some concerns over First Amendment issues,” said Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene of colleagues’ remarks about Ms Omar’s fate. “They said that even though they completely disagreed with what she said, they believe in free speech, as do I,” she said.

Ms Greene said she saw the matter as more of a national-security issue than a free-speech issue because of what she called Ms Omar’s negative views toward Israel.

Ms Omar, one of the first two Muslim women in congress, has said she believes some of the efforts to remove her from committee are due to anti-Muslim sentiment. She has apologised for her tweets in which she remarked, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby” in reference to US politicians defending Israel.

Mr McCarthy last week blocked Democrats Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from serving on the house intelligence committee, which didn’t require a vote.

The Wall Street Journal