George Santos Recuses Himself From Committees, as Any Good Truth Teller Would
George Santos weaseled his way into Congress by flat-out lying about nearly every major aspect of his backstory. Some Republicans, including those in his home district, have called for him to resign, but House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has stood by Santos, even assuring reporters that he’ll sit on committees like everyone else. The bit about sitting on committees appears to be too much for Santos, though, who reportedly told colleagues on Tuesday that he is temporarily recusing himself from doing so.
Santos was slated to sit on the Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. They aren’t high-profile assignments, but given that Republicans booted former Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) from his committees in 2019 after he threw the type of nod to white supremacy that is now practically commonplace in the GOP, it’d stand to reason that a member being a verifiable fraud in just about every aspect of his life might also be disqualifying.
Alas, it wasn’t, and it apparently came down to Santos himself to decide it probably isn’t a good idea for him to do anything more than the bare minimum for the next two years before he slinks out of Congress in disgrace — at least for now. Why, exactly, did he do it, though?
The Washington Post reported that Santos said he would step down because he’s “a distraction,” which is a little surprising considering the defiant posture he’s struck so far against those saying he should resign. He’s said repeatedly that he isn’t concerned by all the scandal surrounding him, and that he’s laser-focused on serving the people of New York’s 3rd congressional district. He would certainly be able to serve them better by representing their interests on House committees, so the decision Tuesday morning is curious.
Then again, Santos is a curious fellow, and it wouldn’t be shocking if his announcement actually meant he would, in fact, be serving on every House committee possible. It also wouldn’t be shocking if this was the first step toward a coming resignation as revelations continue to pile up about his web of lies.