WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Congressman George Santos, who has admitted to fabricating much of his resume, told fellow Republicans on Tuesday that he will not serve on committees for now, lawmakers said.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the freshman asked if he could recuse himself from his committee duties while he works to clear an ethics cloud. McCarthy called it “an appropriate decision.”
“The voters chose him,” McCarthy told reporters. “He will have a voice here in Congress. And until he answers all these (ethical) questions, then he will be able to be a member of committees.”
The embattled congressman has faced calls from fellow New York Republicans to step down over fabrications about his career and history.
Santos, who announced his decision in a closed-door meeting with fellow Republican lawmakers, rejected calls to resign, saying he would vacate his seat only if he loses the next election.
“He just said he’s off for a while and then he’ll come back,” Congressman Don Bacon told reporters.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan and David Morgan; Writing by Paul Grant; Editing by Doina Chiaku and Tim Ammann)
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