U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY) faces members of the news media after telling a Republican party conference that he will recuse himself from House committee assignments as he returns to his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2023. Â
U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-NY) faces members of the news media after telling a Republican party conference that he will recuse himself from House committee assignments as he returns to his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2023. Â
WASHINGTON - Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) told House Republicans on Tuesday that he will step down from his committee assignments, according to a person familiar with the discussion.
Santos, who has admitted to fabricating key parts of his background since his election in November, said in a closed-door meeting of House Republicans on Tuesday that he would remove himself from his assignments on the House Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
Santos told the meeting he will step down because "he's a distraction," according to a Republican lawmaker who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.
The announcement, which Santos has not verified publicly, comes the same day polling in his district showed the vast majority of voters believe he should resign. More than three-quarters of registered voters in New York's 3rd Congressional District said he should leave his job, the Newsday-Siena College poll found.
Santos has given no indication that he plans to voluntarily give up his seat.
