George Santos to Step Down From Committees according to GOP

George Santos to Step Down From Committees according to GOP. He made it known to GOP colleagues that he would step down from his two committee assignments amid pushback over fabricated elements of his background.

Rep. George Santos told Republican lawmakers on Tuesday he will recuse himself from committee assignments, according to GOP leaders.

The embattled New York Republican was assigned to the House Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee earlier this month, despite pushback from multiple levels of the political sphere for fabricating elements of his background. Santos told his colleagues in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday that he would step down for the time being, although he has yet to verify the decision publicly.

“George has voluntarily removed himself from committees as he goes through this process,” Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York told reporters during a news conference on Tuesday.

Santos met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday.

The development comes as calls for Santos’ resignation have been prolific throughout the political world – from Democrats to GOP officials in New York to a handful of his Republican colleagues in Congress. Within his district, Santos is viewed unfavorably by the vast majority of voters, 78% of which say he should resign, according to a Newsday-Siena College poll released on Tuesday. And 71% say McCarthy was wrong to appoint Santos to committees.

“NY 3 voters overwhelmingly and unambiguously say Rep. Santos should resign,” the poll director at Siena College, Don Levy, said in a statement, adding that no matter the demographic, “the answer is the same: resign.”

Nevertheless, Santos has rebuffed calls to resign, while McCarthy has refused to step in, deferring to the Ethics Committee, where a complaint has been filed against Santos for “failure to file timely, accurate and complete financial disclosure reports.”

“You know why I’m standing by him? Because his constituents voted for him,” McCarthy told reporters at a news conference last week, adding that “If for some way when we go through Ethics and he has broken the law, then we will remove him.”