Two of Rep. George Santos’s (R-NY) fellow freshmen New York Republicans blasted the embattled lawmaker after he recused himself from committees amid ethics and campaign finance complaints.
Reps. Nick LaLota (R-NY) and Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), who previously called on Santos to resign, again urged him to step down after he announced he would recuse himself from the Small Business Committee and Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Santos admitted to fabricating aspects of his education and employment history and is accused of financial misconduct.
NEW YORK HOUSE DEMOCRATS CALL ON MCCARTHY NOT TO GRANT SANTOS ACCESS TO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION
“This is a classic case of someone quitting right before they were going to get fired,” LaLota and D’Esposito said in a joint statement on Tuesday. “While we, and the overwhelming percentage of Long Islanders we represent, are relieved to see that Santos will not be undeservedly sitting on committees, he should still do the right thing and resign. That is what is in the best interest of his constituents and House Republicans.”
Santos asked House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to allow him to step down from his committees but asked that his spot be saved until the investigations conclude.
“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 said in a statement. “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.”
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He added that the ongoing discussion within the House GOP over removing Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from the Foreign Affairs Committee over past antisemitic statements factored into his decision since some Democrats argued that Santos’s controversies make him less fit to serve on committees than Omar.
If Santos resigns, he would leave House Republicans with an even slimmer majority. He won a competitive new district that could vote for a Democrat in a special election, and Republicans would be left with only a four-seat majority.
