Rep. George Santos outside his office on Capitol Hill.Photo: Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images
New York Rep.George Santoshas told colleagues he is resigning from two House committees,Axios reports, but that the resignation is only temporary while a number of investigations into the new lawmaker play out.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy confirmed the news to the outlet, telling Axios: “I met with George Santos yesterday … We had a discussion and he asked me if he could do that.”
McCarthy added that he felt “it was an appropriate decision that, until he can clear everything up, he’s off of committees right now.”
The news that Santos was temporarily resigning from his assignments on the Small Business and Science Committees comes just days afterreports indicated that the Department of Justiceis investigating the lawmaker.
Last week, theWashington Postreported that the DOJ asked the Federal Election Commission to hold off on taking any action against Santos — a signal that the DOJ itself may be investigating the Republican’s campaign finances, which have raised numerous questions.
Santos, who was sworn into office earlier this month, came under fire in December, whenThe New York Timesreported that a large portion of his biography could not be substantiated. The outlet alleged that he misled voters about his level of education, previous jobs and family ties to the Holocaust, news that earned bipartisan condemnation in recent days for misrepresenting himself.
In an interview with theNew York Post, thecongressman admitted he lied aboutworking at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, as he had previously asserted, and revealed that he had also embellished his education, noting that he did not attend Baruch College or New York University.
But many questions about Santos' background remain, including those about his finances and the source of his campaign funding.
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source: people.com
