Embattled Rep. George Santos temporarily stepped away from his committee assignments on Tuesday, saying the scrutiny he is facing in connection with his background and campaign finance records had become a distraction. 

In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the freshman congressman said he had recused himself from the two committees he landed earlier this month. 

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


What You Need To Know

  • Rep. George Santos temporarily stepped away from his committee assignments on Tuesday, saying the scrutiny he is facing in connection with his background and campaign finance records had become a distraction

  • Santos received assignments to the Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee nearly two weeks ago

  • The freshman congressman has admitted to lying about major aspects of his biography, including his education and work history, but he has resisted calls, including by the Nassau County Republican Party, to resign

“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 added. “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 received assignments to the Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee nearly two weeks ago.

The congressman first informed Republican colleagues that he had recused himself in a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik said at a House GOP news conference held shortly after the meeting. 

Speaking with reporters before the news conference, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Santos told her and other members of Congress he had “made this decision on his own.”

“He just felt like, that there was so much drama, really, over the situation,” Taylor Greene said. 

Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, meanwhile, called Santos’ decision “a good choice,” adding that he “said from day one, he has been a distraction.”

“Obviously, I call for his resignation,” D’Esposito said. “I don’t think he has the ability to serve the people that sent him here.”

Santos has admitted to lying about major aspects of his biography, including his education and work history, but he has resisted calls, including by the Nassau County Republican Party, to resign.

Asked if she regretted supporting Santos during his campaign, Stefanik sidestepped the question.

"Like all of my colleagues, particularly in New York state, I supported George Santos as the nominee, and the people of his district voted to elect him," she said. "This process is going to play itself out — I've already commented on this numerous times — and again, it's going to play itself out, but ultimately voters are going to make that decision, whether it's in the primary election or in the general election."

Federal and local prosecutors are investigating whether Santos committed any crimes involving his finances or lies on the campaign trail, according to multiple reports and the Nassau County, New York, district attorney's office.

A Newsday/Siena College poll released Tuesday found that 78% of voters in Santos’ congressional district felt he should tender his resignation in light of the controversy surrounding his campaign.

On Tuesday morning, less than an hour before the House GOP news conference, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tweeted about Santos. 

“Why are House Republicans continuing to coddle serial fraudster George Santos?" Jeffries wrote.

And Democratic Reps. Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman, who filed an ethics complaint against Santos earlier this month, continued to call for his resignation. 

“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.” 

“If he is unfit to serve on House committees, he is unfit to serve in Congress,” Goldman added in a tweet. “There are no appropriate half-measures. He must resign.”