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Santos steps down from House panels amid ethics issues

Republican Rep. George Santos of New York told colleagues in a closed-door meeting that he is stepping down from two congressional committees amid numerous calls for his resignation and multiple investigations over personal and campaign finances. (Jan.31)

FILE - Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., leaves a House GOP conference meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 25, 2023. U.S. Rep. George Santos was charged with criminal theft in Pennsylvania in 2017 in connection with bad checks apparently used to buy puppies from dog breeders, according to a lawyer who said she helped the Republican with the case.(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., leaves a House GOP conference meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., departs Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., waits for the start of a session in the House chamber as the House meets for the fourth day to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, Friday, Jan. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

FILE - House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., walks to a House Republican Steering Committee meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. George Santos of New York announced Tuesday he is temporarily stepping down from his two congressional committees, a move that comes amid a host of ethics issues and a day after he met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Santos has faced numerous calls for his resignation and is facing multiple investigations by prosecutors over his personal and campaign finances and lies about his resume and family background .

Santos was assigned to two fairly low-profile panels, the House Committee on Small Business and to the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Still, his arrival has left GOP leadership frequently answering questions about the congressman rather than about their priorities for the coming months.

In a prepared statement, Santos said he wanted to focus on serving his constituents “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,” Santos said. “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.”

Before issuing the statement, Santos addressed Republican lawmakers in a weekly closed-door meeting they have when in Washington. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said the decision was well-received from the GOP conference. “I think it was the appropriate thing to do and I was proud of him for getting up and doing this,” Cole said.

McCarthy met with Santos on Monday night but did not disclose their conversation.

“You’ll see,” McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol.

The questions surrounding Santos go beyond his misrepresentations to voters to include whether his congressional campaign followed the law in its reporting to the Federal Election Commission. There have been lingering questions about irregularities in his campaign committee’s financial reports and the source of Santos’ wealth.

If Santos’ campaign is found to have knowingly and willfully made any “materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation” on its paperwork, it could potentially face criminal charges, the FEC said in a letter to the campaign last week.

Republicans described the decision by Santos to temporarily step down from the two House panels as voluntary. Rep. Roger Williams of Texas, the chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, said he was surprised.

“The bottom line is that he’s chosen to be off committees until his situation gets handled at a level that he’s comfortable with,” Williams said.

Democrats have been highly critical of Santos as well as McCarthy for his efforts to oust three Democratic lawmakers from committees, while at the same time backing committee assignments for Santos, who has lied so thoroughly to his constituents about his background.

“The hypocrisy just grabs you by the throat,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. “This is a Republican speaker who is seating a human fraud, George Santos, on committees, a serial fabricator about every part of his existence.”

McCarthy blocked Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., from being re-appointed to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, though they will be able to serve on other committees. He’s also committed to removing Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from serving on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, though such a move would come to the full House for a vote, where undoubtedly Democrats would renew questions about the propriety of allowing Santos to sit on committees as their members are being removed.

Late Tuesday, House Republicans put in motion a process toward ousting Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee, once she is formally seated on the panel for the new Congress. A vote by Republicans on a resolution to remove Omar from the committee could come as soon as Wednesday.

McCarthy has little margin for error if he chooses to pursue her expulsion for remarks McCarthy has described as antisemitic regarding Israel. Omar has apologized, and said in a CNN interview Sunday she “might have used words at the time that I didn’t understand were trafficking in antisemitism.”

Shortly after Omar arrived in Congress in 2019, the House approved a resolution condemning antisemitism and other forms of bigotry — without mentioning her by name — after she made remarks that critics said accused Israel supporters of having dual allegiances.

At least two Republicans had said they won’t vote for Omar’s removal from the foreign affairs panel. They said Democrats were in the wrong for removing Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., from their committees two years ago. And Republicans were making a similar mistake when it came to Omar.

“It’s just wrong,” said Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo. “Let’s stop ruining this place. Let’s make it better.”

But McCarthy appeared to be winning over some GOP skeptics. Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., said previously “two wrongs do not make a right” when it comes to ousting Omar. She issued a statement Tuesday reversing course and stating she would support a removal resolution after McCarthy expressed his willingness to add due process provisions.

“I think setting a precedent of allowing an appeal process for the Speaker’s and majority-party removal decisions is particularly important to freedom-loving legislators who usually are on the receiving end of issues like this,” Spartz said.

AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro and video journalist Nathan Ellgren contributed to this report.

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George Santos steps down from committees

Barbara Sprunt

New York Republican Rep. George Santos is stepping down from his committee assignments. The move comes as outcry continues over his fabricated biography.

Copyright © 2023 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

OnPolitics: New York Rep. George Santos 'temporarily' steps down from House committees

Hi OnPolitics readers. We’re back with updates on freshman GOP Rep. George Santos as he’s making headlines yet again.

Santos announced Tuesday that he’s recusing himself from his assignments on the House Small Business and Science, Space and Technology committees. But he says the move is temporary, until after the many ethical reviews of his past and campaign  wrap up.

Here’s a quick refresher on the lawmaker :

• He’s faced mounting pressure to resign from Congress after it was revealed he lied about his resume and background .
• Santos’ finances are raising more questions , which prompted organizations and officials to call for campaign finance investigations.
• And Santos' most recent professional history leads back to a fund federal regulators called a Ponzi scheme in a 2021 lawsuit . 

📘 Read on: Find out why Santos' latest move has some Democrats and experts confused. 

What else is going on?

• A newly released video of Donald J. Trump shows the former president  repeatedly pleading the Fifth during questioning  under oath last year for the civil fraud lawsuit filed by the New York Attorney General. 
• President Joe Biden is set to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Wednesday to discuss the looming debt ceiling deadline . 
• GOP Majority Leader Steve Scalise said that the House will vote to remove Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. 

📰 Want more? We got you covered with our live blog, which will catch you up on all the day's news. 

👀 Like the new look of this newsletter? We have a new format to give you more political news each day! Not signed up? Get OnPolitics in your inbox here.

Rep. George Santos voluntarily steps down from House committee assignments

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., leaves a House GOP conference meeting in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 25, 2023.

Andrew Harnik / AP

Embattled New York Republican Rep. George Santos is voluntarily stepping down from his committee assignments amid outcry over his fabricated biography and ongoing questions about his personal and campaign finances.

"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," Santos said in a statement.

"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."

Santos had previously been placed on the Science, Space and Technology Committee and the Small Business Committee.

Texas Rep. Roger Williams, who chairs the latter committee, said he understood from Santos that the move is temporary.

"There's a threshold that he feels like [where] he's not the issue anymore and when he hits that, it sounds like he wants to get back on committees and get going," Williams told reporters.

He added Santos' withdrawal came as a surprise but he supports the decision.

"For a while, the question I was getting asked by [the press] is 'Where you gonna put him? Can he do this?' - it became about him," Williams said. "It's not about him. It's about our committee and we have so much to do and when he gets ready to get back on and he's met the thresholds that he's set or whatever, then let's go."

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called Santos' move "bold" as she left the GOP's weekly closed-door conference meeting Tuesday morning.

"He just felt like that there is so much drama really over the situation," she said.

"Mr. Santos' statement in there was just saying that he spoke with Speaker McCarthy and made this decision on his own," Greene added.

There are ongoing calls for Santos to resign

Several Republican members of the House as well as Republicans in his New York district have called on Santos to resign. Santos did not take questions from NPR Tuesday morning but has repeatedly said he has no plans to resign.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. had previously pushed for an ethics review of Santos.

"Half-measures like voluntarily taking himself off his committee assignments are not good enough for the people of New York's third congressional district, or for the American people," Torres said in a statement. "He was a disgrace yesterday. He's a disgrace today. And he'll be a disgrace tomorrow. He should resign from office immediately."

Nassau County GOP Chairman Joseph Cairo recently called Santos' run for office a "campaign of deceit, lies, and fabrication."

"He has no place in the Nassau County Republican Committee, nor should he serve in public service or as an elected official," he said. "He's not welcome here at Republican headquarters for meetings or at any of our events."

Santos, who won an open congressional seat held by a Democrat in November, came under fire for reports he deceived voters with an extensively fabricated biography, including false claims about his Jewish heritage and imagined story about his family escaping the Holocaust. Santos has previously admitted to making some "mistakes," but maintains that he is not "a fraud or a fake."

An investigation from The New York Times couldn't substantiate many of Santos' claims, including his graduation from Baruch College and his work for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

Questions have also emerged as to the source of $700,000 that Santos claimed to loan his campaign in 2022, just two years after filing a financial disclosure report indicating he had no major assets.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said earlier this month that although Santos has "a long way to go to earn trust," he would remain in Congress.

"The voters have elected George Santos," McCarthy said during an early January press conference. "If there is a concern, he will go through ethics. If there is something that is found, he will be dealt with in that manner."

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Rep. George Santos voluntarily steps down from House committee assignments

Updated January 31, 2023 at 4:49 PM ET

Embattled New York Republican Rep. George Santos is voluntarily stepping down from his committee assignments amid outcry over his fabricated biography and ongoing questions about his personal and campaign finances.

"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," Santos said in a statement.

Santos later told reporters he was confident he would be cleared "because I have nothing to hide."

Santos had previously been placed on the Science, Space and Technology Committee and the Small Business Committee.

Texas Rep. Roger Williams, who chairs the latter committee, said he understood from Santos that the move is temporary.

"There's a threshold that he feels like [where] he's not the issue anymore and when he hits that, it sounds like he wants to get back on committees and get going," Williams told reporters.

He added Santos' withdrawal came as a surprise but he supports the decision.

"For a while, the question I was getting asked by [the press] is 'Where you gonna put him? Can he do this?' - it became about him," Williams said. "It's not about him. It's about our committee and we have so much to do and when he gets ready to get back on and he's met the thresholds that he's set or whatever, then let's go."

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called Santos' move "bold" as she left the GOP's weekly closed-door conference meeting Tuesday morning.

"He just felt like that there is so much drama really over the situation," she said.

"Mr. Santos' statement in there was just saying that he spoke with Speaker McCarthy and made this decision on his own," Greene added.

There are ongoing calls for Santos to resign

Several Republican members of the House as well as Republicans in his New York district have called on Santos to resign. Santos did not take questions from NPR Tuesday morning but has repeatedly said he has no plans to resign.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. had previously pushed for an ethics review of Santos.

"Half-measures like voluntarily taking himself off his committee assignments are not good enough for the people of New York's third congressional district, or for the American people," Torres said in a statement. "He was a disgrace yesterday. He's a disgrace today. And he'll be a disgrace tomorrow. He should resign from office immediately."

Nassau County GOP Chairman Joseph Cairo recently called Santos' run for office a "campaign of deceit, lies, and fabrication."

"He has no place in the Nassau County Republican Committee, nor should he serve in public service or as an elected official," he said. "He's not welcome here at Republican headquarters for meetings or at any of our events."

Santos, who won an open congressional seat held by a Democrat in November, came under fire for reports he deceived voters with an extensively fabricated biography, including false claims about his Jewish heritage and imagined story about his family escaping the Holocaust. Santos has previously admitted to making some "mistakes," but maintains that he is not "a fraud or a fake."

An investigation from The New York Times couldn't substantiate many of Santos' claims, including his graduation from Baruch College and his work for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

Questions have also emerged as to the source of $700,000 that Santos claimed to loan his campaign in 2022, just two years after filing a financial disclosure report indicating he had no major assets.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said earlier this month that although Santos has "a long way to go to earn trust," he would remain in Congress.

"The voters have elected George Santos," McCarthy said during an early January press conference. "If there is a concern, he will go through ethics. If there is something that is found, he will be dealt with in that manner."

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

• News & Stories

Rep. George Santos voluntarily steps down from House committee assignments

• Barbara Sprunt

Multiple GOP lawmakers tell NPR that embattled New York Republican Rep. George Santos is voluntarily stepping down from his committee assignments amid outcry over his fabricated biography and ongoing questions about his personal and campaign finances.

"We just got out of conference and George has voluntarily removed himself from committees as he goes through this process," said Rep. Elise Stefanik, who chairs the GOP conference.

Updated January 31, 2023 at 12:27 PM ET

Santos had previously been placed on the Science, Space and Technology Committee and the Small Business Committee.

Texas Rep. Roger Williams, who chairs the latter committee, said he understood from Santos that the move is temporary.

"There's a threshold that he feels like [where] he's not the issue anymore and when he hits that, it sounds like he wants to get back on committees and get going," Williams told reporters.

He added Santos' withdrawal came as a surprise but he supports the decision.

"For a while, the question I was getting asked by [the press] is 'Where you gonna put him? Can he do this?' - it became about him," Williams said. "It's not about him. It's about our committee and we have so much to do and when he gets ready to get back on and he's met the thresholds that he's set or whatever, then let's go."

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called Santos' move "bold" as she left the GOP's weekly closed-door conference meeting Tuesday morning.

"He just felt like that there is so much drama really over the situation," she said.

"Mr. Santos' statement in there was just saying that he spoke with Speaker McCarthy and made this decision on his own," Greene added.

Oklahoma GOP Rep. Tom Cole said he's seen members step down from committees in the past "usually when they were under some sort of legal question."

Cole said Santos told colleagues he "didn't want to become a distraction" and didn't indicate a particular timeline for him returning to committee.

There are ongoing calls for Santos to resign

Several Republican members of the House as well as Republicans in his New York district have called on Santos to resign. Santos did not take questions from NPR Tuesday morning but has repeatedly said he has no plans to resign.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. had previously pushed for an ethics review of Santos.

"Half-measures like voluntarily taking himself off his committee assignments are not good enough for the people of New York's third congressional district, or for the American people," Torres said in a statement. "He was a disgrace yesterday. He's a disgrace today. And he'll be a disgrace tomorrow. He should resign from office immediately."

Nassau County GOP Chairman Joseph Cairo recently called Santos' run for office a "campaign of deceit, lies, and fabrication."

"He has no place in the Nassau County Republican Committee, nor should he serve in public service or as an elected official," he said. "He's not welcome here at Republican headquarters for meetings or at any of our events."

Santos, who won an open congressional seat held by a Democrat in November, came under fire for reports he deceived voters with an extensively fabricated biography, including false claims about his Jewish heritage and imagined story about his family escaping the Holocaust. Santos has previously admitted to making some "mistakes," but maintains that he is not "a fraud or a fake."

An investigation from The New York Times couldn't substantiate many of Santos' claims, including his graduation from Baruch College and his work for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup.

Questions have also emerged as to the source of $700,000 that Santos claimed to loan his campaign in 2022, just two years after filing a financial disclosure report indicating he had no major assets.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said earlier this month that although Santos has "a long way to go to earn trust," he would remain in Congress.

"The voters have elected George Santos," McCarthy said during an early January press conference. "If there is a concern, he will go through ethics. If there is something that is found, he will be dealt with in that manner." [Copyright 2023 NPR]

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George Santos Steps Down From Committee Assignments

House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik announces that Representative George Santos has voluntarily decided to step down from his committee assignments.

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George Santos Is Stepping Down From His Committee Assignments

The New York Republican has come under immense pressure over countless claims of lying about his life.

Dan Ladden-Hall

News Correspondent

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After meeting privately with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday night, Rep. George Santos (R-NY) told House Republicans Tuesday that he would step down from his committee assignments while he works through a host of allegations about his repeated lies.

McCarthy told reporters that Santos had suggested the idea, signaling a notable about-face for the freshman lawmaker, who has remained defiant for weeks, refusing to apologize, resign, or to even substantially acknowledge the many investigations and allegations piling up.

McCarthy, who had put Santos on the House Small Business Committee and Science and Technology Committee just this month, characterized Santos’ recusal as an “appropriate decision” for now “until he could clear everything up.”

In a statement issued Monday afternoon, Santos said he’d asked McCarthy to be temporarily recused from his assignments given “the ongoing attention surrounding both my personal and campaign financial investigations.”

“This was a decision that I take very seriously. The business of the 118 th Congress must continue without media fanfare,” Santos continued. “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.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) said Santos felt there was “so much drama, really, over the situation.” She said the move was only temporary and was done, in part, so House Republicans can boot Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) off the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Santos’ decision comes amid rising calls for him to resign over a slew of lies told about his personal life and professional experience, as well as questions over his campaign spending .

The embattled lawmaker is now facing multiple investigations and complaints. Brazilian prosecutors are attempting to renew criminal charges against Santos relating to his alleged use of a stolen checkbook, while in this country questions surrounding his campaign spending and financial disclosures have generated complaints to the Federal Election Commission and House Ethics Committee.

Since he took the oath of office on Jan. 7, reports have emerged that have piled more pressure on Santos. A report last Friday suggested that over a dozen of the major donors to his unsuccessful 2020 congressional campaign don’t appear to exist , while a Daily Beast story earlier in the week revealed that a $500,000 loan he gave to his campaign didn’t come from his personal funds although he previously claimed it had.

Some of his other recent hits have also included telling a Brazilian podcast that he was the victim of an assassination attempt ; initially denying that he had dressed in drag under the name Kitara Ravache before later admitting that it was him; and apparently attempting to hide his Spotify account, for some reason.

The sheer variety of the alleged falsehoods peddled by Santos has even led to his own Republican colleagues telling him to resign. But Santos has so far remained steadfast in his refusal to step down. Earlier this month, he tweeted that he was elected to serve his district, not his party or other politicians.

“I remain committed to doing that and regret to hear that local officials refuse to work with my office to deliver results to keep our community safe and lower the cost of living,” he added. “I will NOT resign!”

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George Santos steps down from committee assignments

House speaker kevin mccarthy, r-calif., told politico that santos’ move was ‘an appropriate decision ... until he can clear everything up’.

By Gitanjali Poonia

Rep. George Santos of New York told his GOP colleagues on Tuesday that he will be temporarily stepping down from his two committee assignments amid controversy surrounding his background and calls for his resignation.

The first-term congressman was assigned to two committees: Small Business and Science, Space and Technology. These assignments are not favored seats, nor were they ones he had his eye on, as Asia Brown reported for the Deseret News .

What are GOP members saying about Santos’ decision?

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told Politico that Santos’ move was “an appropriate decision ... until he can clear everything up.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said Santos “referenced the drama and everything surrounding the situation and he just felt like it was the appropriate thing to do,” per The Associated Press .

Small Business Committee chair Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, told Politico that the New York representative’s decision sounded “temporary,” adding, “I think, until there’s a level of what he thinks the issues that he’s a distraction from are over.”

Why did George Santos temporarily step down from his committees?

Santos’ spokesperson confirmed the decision to NBC News.

“He has reserved to see it until he has been cleared up both campaign and personal financial investigations,” the spokesperson said.

He faces federal and local investigations into his campaign finances after he loaned the campaign over $700,000 despite having recent financial problems. Meanwhile, Brazil law enforcement is resuming a criminal case against Santos for allegedly using a stolen checkbook in 2008, Deseret News reported .

Ethics committee looking into George Santos

Last week, McCarthy told reporters that he stands by Santos “because his constituents voted for him.” But he added that the matter has been deferred to the House Ethics Committee.

“If for some way when we go through Ethics that he has broken the law, then we will remove him, but it’s not my role,” McCarthy said. “I believe in the rule of law. A person’s innocent until proven guilty.”

A Newsday/Siena College poll , released Tuesday, found that 71% of voters surveyed do not think Santos should have been assigned to the two committees, while 78% said they believe he should resign.

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Nbc news now, rep. george santos steps aside from committee assignments amid investigations.

Congressman George Santos is recusing himself from his two committee assignments as the freshman lawmaker faces multiple investigations. NBC News’ Julie Tsirkin breaks down how stepping aside from his committee assignments could impact the investigations and how his constituents and the GOP are reacting.  Feb. 1, 2023

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George Santos Stands Down From Committee Assignments Amid Lying Scandal

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Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-NY) will step down from his new committee assignments, he said Tuesday, as the freshman congressman faces growing calls for his resignation amid a snowballing lying scandal.

UNITED STATES - JANUARY 25: Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., leaves a meeting of the House Republican ... [+] Conference at the Capitol Hill Club on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Citing the “ongoing attention surrounding [his] personal and financial investigations,” Santos submitted a request to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to be recused from his assignments on the small business and science, space, and technology committees “until [he is] cleared,” he said in a statement, adding that he takes the decision “very seriously.”

Santos also told the Washington Examiner he did not want to distract from House leadership’s effort to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, alluding to the possibility that Democrats could respond to the push to eject Omar with a resolution to strip him of his assignments.

Lawmakers and watchdog groups have requested probes into irregularities identified in Santos’ campaign finance statements and personal financial disclosure forms with the Federal Election Commission, the House Ethics Committee and the Office of Congressional Ethics, while the Justice Department, New York Attorney General and Nassau County prosecutor have also opened reviews of his conduct for any unlawful activity.

McCarthy told Politico he met with Santos previously to discuss his committee assignments, and called his decision step down “appropriate . . . until he could clear everything up.”

McCarthy previously stood behind the House Rules Committee’s decision to seat Santos on committees, repeatedly telling reporters that he will be treated like any other Congress member and be held accountable if he is found guilty of wrongdoing in the House ethics process.

Key Background

A coalition of Republican members of Congress from Santos’ home state of New York, along with local party leaders, have called on him to step down after allegations that he lied about nearly every aspect of his resume and personal history, including: that his mother was present for the September 11 attacks, that his grandparents fled the Holocaust, and that he was a model who would be featured in Vogue , among other fabrications. Santos has refused calls for him to step down unless the voters in his district call for him to do so. He also faces a slew of investigations into his campaign finances stemming from allegations that he used a fake independent expenditure committee to raise money and underreported donations in an apparent effort to skirt reporting requirements.

78%. That’s the share of registered voters in Santos’ Long Island district who think he should resign, including 89% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans, according to a new Newsday /Siena poll of 653 respondents released Tuesday.

Surprising Fact

Santos’ removal from Congress requires a vote from two-thirds of House members, consequences only two representatives have faced since the Civil War.

McCarthy’s campaign to strip Omar of her committee assignment is widely seen as retribution for the Democratic-controlled House’s decision to eject Reps. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) from their committee assignments during the previous session of Congress over a string of incendiary remarks. Since the House Foreign Affairs Committee is a standing (permanent) committee, rejecting Omar requires a majority vote from the House. At least three Republicans have publicly said they are against removing her, meaning McCarthy could lack the votes required under the GOP’s slim 222-213 majority.

Further Reading

George Santos Reportedly Claimed To Be A Model Featured In ‘Vogue’: Here’s Everything The Embattled Congressman Has Lied About (Forbes)

George Santos: ‘I Will NOT Resign’—As New York GOP Chair Joins Calls For Him To Step Down Amid Lying Scandal (Forbes)

George Santos: Democratic Congressmen Ask House Ethics Committee To Probe Lies (Forbes)

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George Santos says he'll step down from his committee assignments amid scandals

• Rep. George Santos told his GOP colleagues that he will step down from his committees.
• Santos has been mired in scandal after fabricating parts of his resume.
• The congressman was set to serve on the House Science and Small Business committees.

Rep. George Santos of New York on Tuesday told his Republican colleagues during a morning conference meeting that he will step down from his committee assignments.

The decision comes as the embattled congressman has been mired in scandal after he fabricated parts of his resume and has been under pressure to resign from office. Santos was set to serve on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and House Small Business Committee.

House Democratic Caucus chair Pete Aguilar attributed the ping-ponging of Santos' congressional responsibilities to the "chaos" and "confusion" newly empowered GOP leaders have brought to the chamber. 

"We have said from the very beginning that George Santos is not fit to serve on any committees," Aguilar told reporters at the US Capitol. "So we're pleased that they agree with us now."

"I just don't know if we can trust them — if this is just the decision of the week," Aguilar said, as the situation with the scandal-plagued New York Republican has left many flummoxed.  "We'll see what the message is related to Mr. Santos for next week," Aguilar added.

Santos has come under fire in recent weeks for lying about his education and work history and his heritage before getting elected to Congress. He has characterized himself as a Jewish descendant of Holocaust survivors, though later said he only claimed to be "Jew-ish." The lawmaker has since admitted that he "embellished" his background and apologized for the fabrications.

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Besides Democrats, a handful of Republicans in Congress and several in his home state have called for Santos' resignation , though he has refused. The news on Tuesday comes as a newly released poll found that 78% of voters in Santos' district want him to leave office.

Santos is also under investigation in Brazil over fraud allegations, and in New York over lying about his past. The congressman has denied any criminal wrongdoing.

Two House Democrats earlier this month filed a complaint against Santos, asking the House Ethics Committee to investigate the congressman. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said Santos will be removed from office if investigators find that he broke the law. 

"George has voluntarily removed himself from committees as he goes through this process," Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 House Republican, said in a press conference on Tuesday.

Santos announced the move in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, saying it's "important" for him to "primarily focus" on serving his constituents "without distraction." 

"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," Santos said. 

"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," he added. "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." 

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Li rep. george santos steps down from committee assignments, the long island congressman, who has fabricated much of his past, said he wants everything "cleared up" before focusing on committee work..

Jerry Barmash , Patch Staff

WASHINGTON, DC — Rep. George Santos is stepping down from his committee assignments. The Long Island congressman told a House GOP conference that he would be a distraction , CNN reported.

Santos is not accepting any committee assignments "until things get cleared up ," a long time GOP member told CNBC.

Santos has come under intense scrutiny since winning the November election for the 3rd Congressional District for fabricating parts of his resume and other aspects of his background .

Find out what's happening in Glen Cove with free, real-time updates from Patch.

He faces numerous calls for his resignation from Congress, including from GOP leaders in Nassau County. Several investigations are underway about his finances.

Santos was a member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Small Business.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently told reporters he would have Santos removed if the Ethics Committee found any wrongdoing.

In a joint statement of Long Island congressmen Anthony D'Esposito and Nick LaLota:

"This is a classic case of someone quitting right before they were going to get fired. While we, and the overwhelming percentage of Long Islanders we represent, are relieved to see that Santos will not be undeservedly sitting on committees, he should still do the right thing and resign. That is what is in the best interest of his constituents and House Republicans."

Santos has made no indication that he plans to resign from his seat in the 3rd Congressional District.

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George Santos pleads guilty, acknowledging lies and blaming ambition for conning his way to Congress

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — George Santos, who spun lies about his life into an 11-month stint in Congress, pleaded guilty Monday to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in a case that led to his expulsion from office. He blamed his ambition for clouding his judgment and said he was “flooded with deep regret.”

Santos, 36, is likely to spend at least six years in prison and owes more than $570,000 in restitution and forfeiture after tearfully admitting that he duped voters, deceived donors and stole the identities of 11 people, including his own family members, to make donations to his campaign.

Santos’ guilty plea in federal court on Long Island came weeks before the case was to go to trial, punctuating one of the more bizarre stories in modern political lore. He remains free on bond awaiting sentencing Feb. 7.

“I betrayed the trust of my constituents and supporters. I deeply regret my conduct,” the former New York representative said, his voice trembling as he entered the plea.

Santos was elected in 2022 after bandying stories — later proven false — about his wealth and background, including a lie that his mother perished in the 9/11 attacks. As his biography unraveled, Santos went to great lengths to defend himself, once saying he was “Jew-ish,” not Jewish, when confronted about his campaign claim that his grandparents had fled the Holocaust.

Once regarded as a rising Republican star after flipping a district covering parts of Queens and Long Island’s Gold Coast, Santos faced scrutiny even before taking office. Reports he lied about having a career at top Wall Street firms and a college degree were followed by questions about how he funded his campaign.

Outside court, Santos told reporters Monday his political ambitions led him “to make decisions that were unethical.”

“Pleading guilty is a step I never imagined I’d take, but it is a necessary one because it is the right thing to do,” Santos said. “It’s not only a recognition of my misrepresentation to others, but more profoundly, it is my own recognition of the lies I told myself over these past years.”

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said Santos, in pleading guilty, told the truth “after years of telling lies.”

“And that truth is he is a criminal,” Peace said.

Santos was indicted last year on felony charges he stole from political donors, used campaign contributions to pay for personal expenses, lied to Congress about his wealth and collected unemployment benefits while working.

Additionally, Santos also admitted to “a litany of other crimes for which the court will hold him accountable at sentencing,” Peace said.

Among them: stealing multiple people’s credit card numbers and charging them for his campaign, tricking donors into giving money to a bogus nonprofit and using the cash to buy designer clothing and fabricating his personal wealth in a financial disclosure report to Congress.

A House Ethics Committee investigation last year found money Santos diverted to his personal bank accounts was used to pay credit card bills and make purchases at luxury retailer Hermes, beauty retailer Sephora and the adult content website OnlyFans.

Peace said Santos “badly deceived” his constituents, who “came to learn that they were victims of a fraud of unprecedented proportions.”

“They had to watch helplessly while Santos rode into Congress on a campaign of lies,” Peace said.

Santos was expelled from the U.S. House last December after the ethics committee investigation found “overwhelming evidence” he had broken the law and exploited his public position for personal profit. He’d refused to resign, maintaining his innocence in the face of his May 2023 indictment and additional charges months later.

The case had been scheduled for trial in early September. Prosecutors said they were prepared to call some 40 witnesses, including members of Santos’ family, campaign and former employers, and wanted to show jurors evidence of Santos’ myriad falsehoods, including claims he’d worked at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.

After his ouster from Congress, Santos said in an interview that he’d be open to a plea deal. Asked if he was afraid of going to prison, he told WCBS-TV at the time: “I think everybody should be afraid of going to jail, it’s not a pretty place and uh, I definitely want to work very hard to avoid that as best as possible.”

Separately Monday, Manhattan Federal Judge Denise Cote tossed out Santos’ lawsuit alleging that Jimmy Kimmel , ABC and Disney committed copyright infringement and unjustly enriched themselves by using videos he made on the Cameo app for a segment on Kimmel’s late-night talk show. Cote said it was clear Kimmel used the clips for criticism and commentary, which is fair use.

Santos began selling personalized videos on Cameo after leaving Congress. He subsequently launched, then quickly abandoned , a longshot independent bid to return to Congress.

In an interview that aired Sunday on WABC Radio , Santos said he has taken comfort in a “somewhat private civilian” again, with little wistfulness for the “rubber chicken dinners and the rah-rah-rah parties and fundraisers” of his former life.

Santos said he was “terrified” of his then-looming trial, telling host Cindy Adams: “This is not absolutely an easy process to go through. It really hurts and it really messes with your psychological health.”

In the days leading to his guilty plea, the ever-online Santos appeared to signal his decision – even as he chided followers for speculating and mixed in a disappointed review of the latest installment in the “Alien” movie series.

After losing a bid to have prospective jurors fill out written questionnaires, Santos cryptically wrote on X last week: “I’m done,” adding an emoji of a hand holding up a peace sign.

Two Santos campaign aides pleaded guilty last year to crimes related to his campaign, complicating his defense.

Ex-treasurer Nancy Marks pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracy, implicating Santos in a scheme to embellish his campaign finance reports with a fake loan and fake donors. Her lawyer said she was willing to testify against him.

Ex-fundraiser Sam Miele copped to wire fraud, admitting he impersonated a congressional aide while raising money for Santos’ campaign.

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George Santos Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Identity Theft

Mr. Santos, a former Republican congressman from New York, agreed to pay nearly $375,000 in restitution and faces a minimum of two years in prison.

The disgraced former Republican congressman from New York was charged with 23 felony counts for a number of schemes, including stealing money from donors and lying to the government to cover his tracks.

Pleading guilty is a step I never imagined I’d take. But it is a necessary one because it is the right thing to do. It’s not only a recognition of my misrepresentations to others, but more profoundly, it is my own recognition of the lies I told myself over these past years. It is a confirmation with these truths that have flooded me with deep regret for the choices I made. I’m taking responsibility because I have to. There’s no other way around it.

By Grace Ashford Michael Gold Nicholas Fandos and Nate Schweber

Grace Ashford and Nate Schweber reported from the federal courthouse in Central Islip, N.Y.

George Santos, the disgraced former Republican congressman from New York whose penchant for lying led to one of the oddest sideshows in modern U.S. politics, pleaded guilty on Monday to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft and admitted to an array of other frauds and deceits.

While Mr. Santos’s decision will allow him to avoid a costly trial that was scheduled for next month, it ensures that he will face at least two years in prison.

The plea offers a coda to the tale of a political underdog who catapulted to Congress less than two years ago and then watched his career quickly unravel as his seemingly endless series of falsehoods came to light. Mr. Santos repeatedly insisted that he would defend his innocence in court, only to reverse course as the opportunity approached.

The Guilty Plea, Lies and Questions Left in the George Santos Scandal

George Santos, who was expelled from Congress in 2023, told so many stories they could be hard to keep straight. We broke them down.

The Mr. Santos who appeared in court bore little resemblance to the shameless provocateur whose antics once grabbed headlines. His bravado was replaced by an ill-fitting jacket and words of contrition for several scams involving money laundering, making false statements to Congress and fraudulently claiming unemployment benefits.

“I accept full responsibility for my actions,” he told the judge as he admitted to participating in a scheme to “artificially inflate” the number of contributions to his campaign to win support from the National Republican Congressional Committee.

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