George Santos steps down from House committees

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Embattled Republican Rep. George Santos of New York will withdraw himself from sitting on House committees, he said in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, amid persistent doubts about his history and future in Congress.

House Republican leaders named Santos to the House Small Business Committee and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee earlier this month.

The New York Republican said in a statement that the "ongoing attention" surrounding investigations into his personal and campaign finances prompted his request to be temporarily disqualified from the panels.

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

He told CBS News that he was "confident" he would be cleared in the investigation because he has "nothing to hide." 

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McCarthy stated that his decision to resign from the two committees comes a day after Santos met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Capitol Hill and asked the speaker if he may recuse himself from committees. "I think it was the appropriate decision that until he could clear everything up, he's off committees right now," McCarthy told reporters after the House GOP gathering.

The Speaker stated that if the now-vacant seats on the Small Business and Science Committees are filled, they will be on a temporary basis, and Santos will be able to return the seats if he answers all questions and is "cleared."

"The voters have elected him and he'll have a voice here in Congress, and until he answers all those questions, then at that time, he'll be able to be seated on committees," McCarthy said. 

Santos apologizes for being a 'disruption'

According to two individuals in the House Republican conference meeting, Santos apologized to his colleagues for being a disruption.

Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the Republican conference chair and a Santos backer during his congressional campaign, told reporters after the meeting that he "voluntarily removed himself" from House committees.

Texas Rep. Roger Williams, the chair of the Small Business Committee, suggested that Santos's absence could be short, and that he will be able to return to the panel at some point.

"If that's what he wants to do, that's what he wants to do, if he feels like it's a sideshow from what we are trying to do,"  Williams told reporters of Santos' decision to give up his assignments. "I think that he probably made the right decision and when he comes back, we'll have a spot. "

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State and federal authorities are looking into the Republican lawmaker who represents New York's 3rd Congressional District, as he has confessed to inventing important sections of his history. He's also been the subject of complaints to the Federal Election Commission about his campaign spending and to the House Ethics Committee on his financial disclosure forms.

Santos has faced calls to quit, notably from fellow Republicans in New York's congressional delegation, but has refused. McCarthy has similarly declined to take any action against Santos, instead stating that the voters in his district will decide his future in Congress.