George Santos says he will recuse himself from House committees to avoid 'being a distraction'
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) said Tuesday he will recuse himself from sitting on his assigned committees amid ongoing ethics issues and criminal investigations.
Santos made the announcement in a closed-door meeting with House Republicans, sources said, telling colleagues he would not sit on the House Small Business Committee or the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. While Santos himself refused to comment on the meeting, two GOP House members, Roger Williams (Texas) and Mike Lawler (N.Y.) told Axios that Santos had indeed pledged to step down from his assignments.
Santos reportedly told those in the room he was recusing himself "to prevent from being a distraction."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A spokesperson for Santos later confirmed his decision to NBC News.
"[Santos] has reserved to see it until he has cleared up both campaign and personal financial investigations," the spokesperson said.
The freshman congressman has admitted to fabricating numerous portions of his background and education. This includes lying about where he went to college, lying about his religious and ethnic background, and lying about his work experience at Wall Street firms.
Despite this, the newly led Republican House, helmed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) previously doled out the pair of committee assignments to Santos.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Santos is also facing criminal investigations in New York over alleged campaign finance violations.
His decision to remove himself from the committees comes as a new poll, released Tuesday by Newsday-Siena College, found 78 percent of voters in Santos' district thought he should resign from Congress. Many Republicans have also said the same.
Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.), who serves in Santos' neighboring district, told The New York Times Santos "did not have the ability" to represent the people of his state. He has been joined by many other lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
5 ballsy cartoons about the new White House ballroomCartoons Artists take on the White House Disneyland, a menu for the elites, and more
-
‘Congratulations on your house, but maybe try a greyhound instead’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How climate change poses a national security threatThe explainer A global problem causing more global problems
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deploymentSpeed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
