George Santos told Republicans in the House of Representatives that he would step down from committees

WASHINGTON — Rep. George Santos told House Republicans during a caucus Tuesday morning that he would recuse himself from any committees.

Santos was recently appointed to two committees, the House Small Business Committee and the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.

The news comes as he faces growing controversy over his past lies, scrutiny of his finances and investigations in the US and Brazil.

In an exclusive interview with One America News Network (OAN), Rep. Santos even expressed some remorse for the lies he told during the campaign, saying the only thing he would change was not to lie about his education, however he accused media for following him and his family.

“I don’t think lying is ever forgivable, period,” Santos said. “There are no circumstances, especially if you are now making laws for the American people. So what I could do during the campaign doesn’t reflect what’s done in the office.”

Santos said he lied about his education because he believed it was the only way to get a seat in the House of Representatives.

“It was a bad decision. Bad judgment,” he said. “I felt the need to do this because I thought that without a degree, I would be looked down upon and less than other people.”

Santos claimed to have humble beginnings and defended his character.

“I know a lot of people want to create this story that I rigged my way to Congress, which is an absolutely categorical lie,” he said. “I worked hard, I built a career, thanks to experience, knowledge and self-education.”

READ ALSO | The saga of Rep. George Santos: inside his many fabrications, exaggerations and embellishments

On Tuesday, reporters asked if he made the decision to step down from the committees on his own or was asked to do so by the speaker of the House of Representatives.

“No one tells me to do anything, I made the decision myself, which, in my opinion, best reflects the interests of the voters,” Santos said.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy confirmed Tuesday morning that George Santos had said he would recuse himself from committees, but indicated that if he took committee seats it would be on a temporary basis.

“If I fill them out, it will be temporary and he can return the committees after he is acquitted,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy reiterated that the House Ethics Committee will have questions on many of these issues, and once he answers those questions, he may be able to take a seat on the committees.

“I think it was the right decision that until he clears things up, he’s off the committees,” McCarthy said, adding that they discussed the matter during a meeting on Monday.

McCarthy did not say directly whether he encouraged him to resign from his committee assignments, but told reporters, “I think we had a good discussion in the meeting,” and said that Santos saw the decision as the best way forward.

New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, who supported the congressman’s Long Island campaign, was at the meeting behind closed doors.

“We just finished the conference and George voluntarily stepped down from the committees as he goes through the process,” Stefanik said.

Santos released the following statement on Tuesday afternoon:

“In view of the continued scrutiny surrounding both my personal and campaign financial investigations, I have submitted a request to Speaker McCarthy for me to be suspended from the committee until I am acquitted. It was a decision that I take very seriously. The 118th Congress must proceed without media fanfare. It is important that I first focus on serving the voters of New York’s Third Congressional District and securing federal representation without distraction. I want to personally thank Speaker McCarthy for meeting me to discuss this matter and allowing me time to properly clear my name before returning to my committees. To my constituents, I remain committed to serving the county and achieving results for both New York’s Third Congressional District and the American people.”

The move comes after a new Sienna Poll showed 78% of Santos County voters say he should step down.

New reports emerged over the weekend of possible violations of federal law through so-called ghost donors or the use of donations for people who don’t exist.

Eyewitness news delved into Santos’ FEC campaign documents and found that more than $18,000 was attributed to fictitious donors.

One of them was Rafael Dasilva, the name of a famous Brazilian soccer player, and Stephen Caruso, registered on West Figerboard Road in Manhattan.

This street does not exist.

District 3 residents and Nassau County Legislature Josh Lafazan gathered outside the Santos County office in Queens to ask the FEC to add potential ghost donors to their investigation.

“Essentially, this brazen act of campaign finance fraud allowed him to get money from one source, and we don’t know where that source was, and bypass campaign finance rules,” Lafazan said.

Reporter Chanty Lance met with one of the congressman’s real sponsors.

“I feel betrayed, my friends and many people have a lot of time to campaign for him in the third district, and this would not have happened without these people,” donor David Zere said.

Meanwhile, several men have told ABC News past relationships with the New York congressman, some of which allegedly took place when they were still teenagers, which they say became toxic due to the spate of lies Santos said to try to manipulate them and trap them.

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