George Santos To Step Down From House Committees

Rep. George Santos (R-NY) told colleagues on Tuesday that he will be stepping down from his assignments on two House committees, according to Axios, citing five sources.

Santos will be steppinging down from the Small Business and Science Committees, as the House member from Long Island faces several investigations over lies told on the campaign trail, as well as questions over campaign finances.

That said, Santos indicated that the recusal is not permanent.

“It sounds to me like it’s temporary … I think until there’s a level of what he thinks the issues he’s a distraction from are over with,” said Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX), who chairs the Small Business Committee.

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, who has called for Santos’ resignation, said that “[until] this situation is sorted out and the ethics investigations are complete, I think it’s the right decision.”

More via Axios:

What they’re saying: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters he and Santos talked about the move on Monday: “I met with George Santos yesterday … We had a discussion and he asked me if he could do that.”

• “I think it was an appropriate decision that, until he can clear everything up, he’s off of committees right now,” McCarthy added.

What he’s saying: Santos declined to comment to Axios: “I think you guys are asking too many questions pertaining to what happened in conference, I will not be discussing what happened in conference.”

Last week we noted that Santos had come under scrutiny over potential campaign finance violations – a much more serious class of misconduct which could result in expulsion from Congress, civil penalties and criminal prosecution.

The questions center around the hundreds of thousands of dollars Santos has loaned his campaigns from personal accounts; his sharp increase in reported wealth; an outside group that was raising funds on behalf of his campaign, without being registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC); and a host of expenses submitted by his campaign for $199.99 — one cent less than the figure requiring receipts. -The Hill

“We certainly are talking about potential FEC investigations and DOJ investigations,” said Robert Maguire, head of research for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

In addition to reported investigations into his finances, Santos also faces several ethics complaints.

Santos’s personal wealth spiked between his 2020 and 2022 campaigns – which coincided with the creation of the Devolder Organization, LLC – as well as at least $705,000 in what he originally said were personal loans to his 2022 campaign.

Last Tuesday, however, Santos admitted that a $500,000 loan he gave to his campaign, did not in fact come from personal funds. And as the Daily Beast reported at the time, the question is – where did the money come from?